


Pariah

by charmed_seconds



Series: Pariah Series [2]
Category: Charmed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abuse, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-27
Updated: 2012-10-27
Packaged: 2017-11-17 03:23:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 78,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmed_seconds/pseuds/charmed_seconds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the age of sixteen, Chris gets fed up with his life and runs away. With a changed name and a changed look, Chris hides right in front of his family. However five years later, a death forces him to return home and to his abuser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sage green eyes stared back dully from the mirror, the skin surrounding the beautiful irises a sickening array of yellows and blues. Gingerly, a thin finger poked at the bruised skin, an almost silent hiss leaving the teenager's lips. With a shaky breath, he gripped the cold porcelain of the bathroom sink. His eyes clenched shut as he tried to keep the tears at bay. He couldn't cry. He hasn't since he was a young child, and it wasn't going to change now. He has gotten use to the feel of his father's fist hitting his flesh years ago. He has grown accustomed to the feel of taut skin from bruised muscles in the morning after an evening of kicks to the ribs. Hands clenched the counter top. Why was he living like this? Why couldn't he just wake up one morning and be like, hey Mom, how was your day, oh and by the way, Dad's been hitting me since I was a toddler, so what are we having for dinner?

 

Glancing up, determined eyes glared back at him, taunting him to put his latest idea into reality. With a small nod to himself, he left the bathroom and to his bedroom. Quickly but quietly, he threw a week's worth of clothes into his backpack, a few personal items, and lastly, grabbed his acoustic guitar. With a heavy sigh, he cast one last glance at his room before turning his back on it. It was time to start anew.

 

* * *

 

"Chris?"

 

Piper Halliwell frowned when she didn't hear the usual mumbled reply from her youngest child, "Chris?"

 

Knocking gently on the door, Piper called her son once again. "Peanut, are you awake?"

 

Sighing, Piper twisted the brass doorknob and eased the door open, "Chris, peanut honey, time to wake- Oh God."

 

She held a shaky hand to her agape mouth at the sight of her son's bed. It was untouched, the sheets still taut from when she made it yesterday morning. Glancing around, she noticed that her son's guitar, his most prize procession was gone, along with a few other items. "Chris?" She gasped out, her tone choked by tears.

 

She sank to her knees. Her baby was gone.


	2. Sono Os

He smiled softly at the interviewer as the distant call of "Cut" was called out from behind him. With a soft sigh, he lifted himself up from the off while arm chair. He kept his smile on while he hugged the woman who just spent the last hour interrogating him for entertainment. She thanked him for his time, while he thanked her for hers before he turned around and headed off of stage.

 

"About time,"

 

A soft smile, a spark of life flashing into his sage green eyes, stretched upon his lips as his long time girlfriend sauntered over to him. She grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her long, layered black hair covered half of her face, hiding her right eye from his view. Her dark violet eyes sparkled with mirth, her pale skin a vast contrast to her dark features. Her body was clad in a tight leather corset and equally as tight black jeans. A swirly tattoo of a phoenix rising from its ashes on her upper arm and a proudly displayed Celtic knot on the back of her right shoulder decorated her skin, the tip of the knot peeking over to the top of the limb. A brushing of dark purple eye shadow, and thick black eyeliner finished the ensemble, along with an eyebrow piercing in her right one and a few studs in each of her ears.

 

"Sorry, she got a tad bit long winded," He said before pecking her lips.

 

She chuckled as she unraveled her arms from his neck. "You know you love interviews,"

 

He raised an eyebrow, it thin and black, "Right," He snorted before wrapping an arm around her thin waist as they made their way through the backstage of the studio. His army style boots were quiet in comparison to his girlfriend's heeled boots. He wore rather tight black pants as well, and a plain black t-shirt. Over that, he had on a ankle-length black coat. It was button shut, leaving only the collar of his shirt visible. Black fingerless gloves covered his hand, and a scarf covered his neck. He was dressed as if it was in the midst of winter when it was only early October in L.A. Chipped black fingernail polish and a touch of eyeliner, curiosity of his crazy girlfriend, also covered his body. On top of his head, a top hat with a thick white ribbon covered the bed hair that he didn't have the patience to brush out of this morning.

 

He sighed when he reached a thick, gray door. "Ready?" he asked his girlfriend.

 

"Do I have any choice?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, "I mean, I am dating you."

 

"Right, and you being part of the band has nothing to do with your popularity." He added with an eye roll.

 

She shrug, "Might have something to do with it."

 

He chuckled as he pecked the top of her head, "Only you Sky, only you."

 

She smiled before pushing the steel bar in front of them, and with a loud woosh, opened the door. Instantly, squeals of women and hoots of men reached their ears. They smiled at each other and stepped out into the hoard of fans that they called family. As fast as they could, the two signed CD's, posters, pictures and body limbs with their exotic signatures. "We love you!"

 

The y smiled and, from their threshold of their tour bus, waved at their faithful fans. "We'll see you tonight L.A!" Skylar yelled, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

 

"Marry me Damon!" A random woman yelled.

 

The man chuckled, "Alright taken, sorry." He said before giving Skylar a passionate kiss, the sound of cameras faint in their ears. Releasing her with a smile, he sent one last wave to the group before easing the door shut, the sound instantly dying.

 

"Front page," Skylar giggled, "I can see it now."

 

"Our relationship isn't new," Damon snorted with an eyebrow as he took his hat off and tossed it on the small dining table, it sounded by a padded, red booth.

 

Skylar shrugged, "Never stopped them before."

 

"Nothing will," He sighed as he started to unbutton his jacket, "Such are the woes of being famous."

 

"Oh, stop be melodramatic Chris." Skylar replied, rolling her eyes.

 

Damon, or Chris, smiled as he threw his jacket off and threw it on the booth. Standing behind his girlfriend, Chris wrapped his toned arms around her waist, and nuzzled her neck. "Well, we have a half an hour before the doofus comes back from his radio interview, what to do?"

 

Skylar smiled as she turned in Chris's embrace. Resting her forehead on his, she grinned widened. "Well, love," She paused to give him a passionate kiss, "You are going to go into the bathroom," Another kiss, this time started by Chris, "and brush that damn hair, it's like a nest."

 

Chris raised an eyebrow, "What?"

 

Skylar smiled, "What? It does, you didn't even attempt this morning did you?"

 

"I did," He protested.

 

"Bull, now go mister," Skylar said, smacking his butt, "We have a full-band interview after Ty get back."

 

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yeah, thirty minutes afterward."

 

"It takes us twenty to get to the studio, so that means, we have to leave as soon as he gets back genius."

 

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going." Chris said, throwing his hands up in the air, "God. Bad enough I have Ty on my ass about it, now I have you."

 

"Well, I"m your girlfriend, I have an excuse."

 

"What's Ty's?"

 

"Uhh," Skylar tapped her chin as she though, "Hmm, he's your boyfriend?"

 

Chris's signature eyebrow raise formed on his face as he blinked slowly, "Right. Because I'm in a threesome, and I'm suddenly bisexual."

 

"Uh, honey, you are bi."

 

"That's beside the point," Chris said as dug around for a brush in the bathroom, "I'm not sleeping with Tyler, that would be...weird since I've known him since like, kindergarten."

 

Skylar rolled her eyes, "You are so damn confusing Halliwell."

 

"Not a Halliwell anymore," Chris replied with a sigh as he started brushing his shoulder-length hair, the strands dyed a pitch, midnight black, "Lost that right the day I ran away Sky."

 

"For good reasons," Skylar said as she leaned against the sink, "I mean, your father was a complete asshole. Who the hell beats their child?"

 

"Who the hell doesn't tell their family and just ups and leaves one day?" Chris retorted as he threw the brush back into the drawer, his eyes narrowing on it once it landed, "I mean, I just left, no note, no nothing. Changed my name, my looks, everything."

 

"Yes, I know honey," Skylar said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed Chris's upper forearms, "I mean, when I first met you, I never pegged you as a closet goth."

 

"It was a complete 180 from what I was," Chris muttered with a shrug, "Although, I didn't plan on wearing eye liner and nail polish." He added with a small, mock glare.

 

Skylar smiled, "Admit you like it."

 

"Nope."

 

Skylar shrugged, "Okay," she tapped her chin, "I wonder how you would look blond."

 

Chris narrowed his eyes into a harsh glare, "No."

 

Pouting, Skylar looked at her boyfriend, "Why not?"

 

"I'm not going blond,"

 

"Why not? You'll look hot."

 

"My brother is blond," Chris replied frowning, "so is Leo."

 

"So, how about blond with brown highlights." She proposed.

 

Chris rolled his eyes, "we just redyed my hair, no."

 

Skylar sighed, "Fine."

 

"Thank you." Chris said before walking out of the bathroom.

 

Skylar smirked, "I'll just do it when you're asleep. Done it before."

 

"Sky! I said no!"

* * *

 

 

"And that was "Attack" by Pariah." The hostess said with a large smile, "And our number eight video on this week's countdown, and big leap from number 14." She continued, "Perhaps next week, it will be our number one, you never know with their fans of theirs. Now, onto our number seven video..."

 

"Damn it,"

 

Wyatt rolled his eyes at his younger cousin's anger, "Calm down Sam, Jesus."

 

"Shut up Wy," Samantha snapped, her hazel eyes flashing with anger, "You just don't understand."

 

"You're crazy, what is there to understand?" Wyatt snorted as he turned off the television as the most recent Justin Bieber video came on, "Damn kid needs to retire."

 

Samantha sighed as she brushed her long chestnut brown hair out of her face, "God, wish I wasn't in college right now."

 

"Why?" Wyatt asked as the two Halliwell's rose from the couch and started to make their way to the kitchen, "So you can go to a Pariah concert?"

 

"Duh," Samantha said with a large smile as she practically skipped to the kitchen, "I heard they put on the best show ever!"

 

Wyatt shook his head, "You need a new obsession,"

 

Samantha turned around and stuck her tongue out as she opened the swinging white kitchen door, "You just being like this because you don't like them."

 

"They have a few songs that I like," Wyatt retorted as he made his way to the fridge while Sam sat at the island, "I'm just not obsessed like you. Freak."

 

"Where's Aunt Piper?" Sam asked, her eyes sweeping over the empty kitchen, "The whole reason I drove down here was to have some good cooking." She muttered.

 

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "Two things. One, thanks, thought you would love to just see us but I guess not, and two, you orbed."

 

"God, you're as sarcastic as..." She trailed off, her eyes widening.

 

Wyatt sighed, "As Chris, yeah, I know. I mean, we were brothers, so I guess it would be obvious that we have some similarities."

 

Samantha sighed, "God, its been what five, six years? Seems so much longer."

 

Wyatt nodded, "Yeah, he would be turning twenty one in two months." A sorrowful chuckle left the twice-blessed's lips, "I remember us planning to go bar-hopping once he turned twenty-one."

 

"Wy..."

 

The blond shook his head, "I just want answers. I mean, one night, he was home, smiling, the next day, he's gone and we can't find him! With or without magic! How the hell does someone just fall off the map like that? I mean, he even closed the connection we had together. It still feel strange Sam. I have like a blank void in my mind and heart."

 

"Wyatt, I under-"

 

"Don't even say you understand Samantha," Wyatt growled, his short temper flashing to life, "Chris and I had a connection that rivaled everyone. I could feel everything of his, thoughts, feelings, everything. Then suddenly, its gone. We were suppose to continue the line, become the new Charmed Ones, him and I, and now I wonder what's going to happen. I mean, even I have the whole family to protect me if we never find him. But, he doesn't have anyone Sam. He's part of the Charmed One line, they know he's next in line to the metaphorical throne, and they'll want to kill him before he can take on that chance. He doesn't have one to protect him Sam, he's alone." Wyatt grew quiet, "He always hated being alone."

 

"We'll find him Wyatt," Samantha said, grabbing her cousin's hand that was fisted on the island table top, "Aunt Piper, Aunt Phoebe and Mom haven't stopped looking."

 

"Its been five years Sam, if they haven't found him yet, they won't."

 

Sam smiled sadly, "Don't give up Wy. We'll find a way, the Halliwell family has gone through more."

 

Wyatt sighed and set his forehead on the wooden top, "I just miss him I guess. We were suppose to go to college together, god we were suppose to do so much together, never realized that."

 

"Yeah, yeah, we heard it numerous times," Sam chuckled, "He was going to be the choir/music teacher, and you were going to be the English teacher so you two could have the same schedule and help innocents in your free time. You two had everything down to the T."

 

Wyatt snorted, "We were nerds."

 

"Wyatt, you're still a nerd. Now, can we go back to the TV, there is a Pariah interview coming on that I would like to see."

* * *

 

 

Chris nestled into the beige couch with a faux smile as six camera got ready and honed in on his, and his bandmate's faces. Skylar was sitting on his right while Tyler was on his left. Tyler's smile was more true then Chris's. He loved this life, and every second of it while Chris missed those days of just sitting on his bed whispering lyrics to his walls, but he also love the screaming of fans when he belted out his words.

 

Tyler has sparkling hazel eyes, the irises the color of dark bronze. He has a small speckling of freckles across the bridge of his nose and on his cheekbones. Bright, brunt red red bangs hung in front of his eyes and covered his ears, the full length falling to about his chin. He wore dark blue jeans with brown boots, a dark gray Metallica shirt and a dark brown leather jacket. His tongue swept across his chapped lips, and stopped to play with the blue stud that was nestled in the right corner of his mouth.

 

"Glad to have you here," The host, Matt, said as he sat down in the off-white arm chair across from them.

 

Chris smiled and reached forward to shake the man's hand, "Glad to be here."

 

"Ready?" Matt asked, his dark green eyes looking over the band's head at his director telling him five seconds.

 

"Yep," Tyler said with a large grin.

 

"Three, Two," They heard the countdown, and from the corner of his eye, Chris could see the queue to start come from the director.

 

"Hello, and welcome to the Musical Minute," Matt greeted, a large smile on his stubble bearded face, "And today's guest is none other than Pariah. These three have been climbing the chart since their sophomore disc, Lumen, and topping the top 10 again with their third disk, Aperio. Their videos are one of a kind, and their video for the song, Runaway, has been rushing up the Top Twenty Countdown since its debut three weeks ago. So, please, welcome Damon, Jaiden and Skylar!"

 

A loud, faux crowd clapped as the camera panned over to the band, each of the faces smiling broadly, their eyes sparkling with happiness. "Hello, and welcome to the show guys and girl."

 

"Thanks," Chris/Damon answered.

 

"So, your newest disk, Aperio, you – Damon – said that it was like ripping your heart out. What do you mean?"

 

"Well, we reached into our chests and tore our hearts out," He answered simply with a shrug, "its something I wouldn't suggest doing because it hurts like hell."

 

"Dee," Skylar said, rolling her eyes.

 

Matt chuckled, "Tight leash, eh?"

 

"You have no idea," Chris answered, rolling his eyes, "But, back to the original topic before I get killed here. What I meant when I said that, was that we tore away all of our barriers, and every word written that is sung, is written by myself and every chord played, and every drum beaten has been thought up by one of us."

 

"But, haven't you written all of the songs on the other CD's as well?" At Chris's nod, Matt followed up with, "Why does that make this any different?"

 

"With the other two CD's, while the lyrics are heartfelt, aren't truly who we, or I, was. It was like I was wearing a mask while I was writing them. This time, I tore of the mask, and wrote what I felt and what I've been through."

 

"So basically, this CD is sort of an autobiography of yours?" Matt inquired, inching forward on his chair, his soft sea green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

 

Chris chuckled at the interviewer's pathetic attempt to uncover the shadowed past of Damon's. "You could say that, but it would only be scratching the surface of a very long story."

 

Samantha pouted as she sank deeper into the couch, "God, he's so damn secretive. Can he just give us a bit of information about where he came from?"

 

"Isn't it bad enough that he has the press on his butt all day?" Wyatt snorted, rolling his eyes.

 

Samantha sighed, "I guess. But, it could be cool to know where he grew up. I mean, he said he was born in San Francisco, maybe you went to school with him!"

 

"You're acting like a five year old," mumbled Wyatt, "And he's younger than me."

 

"Only by a few years. God. You could've been a Senior or something, and he could've been a Freshman or a Sophomore."

 

"There was no Damon at my school." Wyatt answered his over zealous cousin, "I think we need to get this obsession looked at too. You're a college student, act like it, please."

 

After sticking her tongue out at her too-serious cousin, the Matthews girl turned back to the TV.

 

"Now, I heard a certain rumor that has been going around," the interviewer said, leaning closer to the the band with a smirk on his handsome, cleanly shaven face, "and I want to know if its true."

 

"Well, you might have to be a bit more specific, there's a lot of rumors around." Tyler replied, snickering, "Especially this one," He added, gesturing towards the frowning Damon.

 

"The one about some guy loving on the bus,"

 

Damon rolled his sage green, eye liner rimmed, eyes, "That again? Isn't that the sixth or the seventh time that's been around in the past six months?"

 

"Eighth I believed," Tyler answered with a smirk, "Well, I guess our secret is out, love." The red-head purred as he rested his head on Damon's shoulder.

 

The black haired man nodded sadly and intertwined his hand with Tyler's, "It appears so sweetheart. I guess we should finally own up to our scandalous love." His gaze shifted towards Skylar, the woman's lips in a straight line as mirth swam in her violet eyes, "I'm sorry Skylar, but the truth is, that I love Jaiden, and I've always have."

 

Skylar sniffled, "No, but Damon, I love you."

 

Sighing, Damon looked ashamed, "I know you do, and I love you as well. But as a sister, please forgive me."

 

Skylar sighed and sniffled one last time, "Well, I guess we can finally fulfill that threesome fantasy that I always had."

 

A loud snort and burst of chuckles erupted from the two men. Matt looked between the three bandmates with slight confusion, "Wha-"

 

Through his laughter, Damon managed to gasp out, "Jaiden and I aren't in a relationship, and Skylar and I are. There is no truth to that rumor at all."

 

"You three, God." Matt chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back in the chair, "Only Pariah could do this."

 

The band smiled widely while Damon tightly grasped Skylar's hand, but Tyler's head stayed on his shoulder, the redhead's arm wrapped around his waist. They looked more like a family than a band.

 

Matt turned towards the camera with a large smile, "Well, we have to go to a commercial right now, but when we get back, Pariah has a special surprise for us. Stay tuned!"

 

Chris chuckled softly as he stood, the other two pouting that their headrest left them. The ex-Halliwell chuckled, "Well, I need to go set up, you two make yourself comfortable." He said before leaning down and pecking Skylar's lips.

 

"Hey! What about me? God, I'm your boyfriend." Tyler said, pouting.

 

Rolling his eyes, Chris bent down and pecked Tyler's forehead, "Better love?' He asked with a raised eyebrow, "Wouldn't want my boyfriend to feel like he's getting the short of the stick of our fantasy threesome now."

 

"Well, I mean, you didn't kiss me on the lips, but I guess I'll let it slide now," Tyler replied smirking, "We'll make it up later in the bathroom love."

 

"It's a date," Chris chuckled before heading over to the stage where Alex – a groupie – was holding his guitar. It had a light brown Sitka spruce top, a black pick guard, neck and bridge. Indian rosewood gave it a deep cherrywood like finish to its sides and back. It was worn from the years he's played it, it going on about ten years. Grabbing it by the neck, he looked at the familiar guitar. His Uncle Henry, the only other musician in the family, gave it to him and then for a year and a half proceeded to teach him how to play it. His Uncle taught him everything he knew, and he loved that man as if he was the father that Leo wasn't. He practically was. He was the one that he cried to when his family's stress got to much. He was the one that always questioned the bruises that Leo forgot to heal after the beatings. Chris was pretty sure Henry knew what was going on, but he didn't know who to blame or how to rectify it without causing the abuser to attack/kill Chris. So he took Chris on crazy trips that would last days, sometimes weeks. Henry never spoke about the abuse or anything while on those trips.

 

Chris sighed with a fond smile on his lips as he sat down on the stool; the guitar settled on his leg, a ruby red pick in his right hand.

 

It was on those trips that one day Chris did breakdown and told Henry everything. Henry, furious with Leo, got in the car and drove them back home. Too bad by time they reached the Halliwell threshold, Chris made his Uncle forget everything about what he said by the lake. Two weeks later, Chris packed up and left the Manor.

 

"And welcome back to the Musical Minute!" Matt's booming voice brought Chris back to the present, "And here's a special treat to all you Pariah fans."

 

The camera panned over to the smiling Chris as he began to strum a few chords, "What if I wanted to break? Laugh it all off in your face, what would you do?"

 

Wyatt winced when he heard Samantha squeal. He swore he could feel his ears bleeding at the high pitch. "God Sam."

 

"Its "The Kill" my favorite song. God, Damon is so...gah, when he sings this." Samantha replied, a large smile on her face, "What if I fell to the floor, couldn't take this anymore? What would you do?" She sang along.

 

"Come, break me down," Damon sang, his voice a hoarse whisper, it adding to the mysterious feel that the acoustic guitar gave the song, "bury me, bury me, I am finished with you."

 

"Depressing," muttered Wyatt, "Didn't know you were a closet Emo Sam, something you want to tell me?"

 

"Shh, before I silence you with a spell mister," Sam snapped, her eyes honed on the television.

 

"Beg for the rest of my life," sang Damon, his voice a tad bit clearer but not any louder, "What would you do? You said you wanted more...what are you waiting for...I not running from you." He leaned back and gather a large breath before belting out the next chorus, "Come, break me down! Bury me, Bury me, I am finished with you! Look in my eyes! You're killing me, killing me! All I wanted was you!"

 

Taking another deep breath, Chris whispered the next part of the song, his voice sounding as if it was choked with tears, "I tried to be someone else, Fighting for a chance, I know now..." He stopped strumming as he whispered the next line, "This is who I really am."

 

He sat there for a few moments, his eyes shut as the true meaning of this song flashed before his closed lids. Inhaling, he belted out the chorus the loudest he has acoustically, "Come break me down! Bury me, Bury me, I am finished with you, you, you . . Look in my eyes! You're killing me, killing me, I am finished with you." He strummed softly, his eyes sliding shut once again as he whispered the last remaining words, "What if I wanted to break? What if I...bury me, bury me." He sat for a few seconds as the last chord went through the small studio before whispering a soft, but heartfelt, thank you as the show cut to commercial. Sliding off of the black stool, Chris handed his guitar over to Alex before heading back to the couch.

 

He sank into the cushion with a soft sigh, trying to relax in the short amount of time that he had before the interview would once again commence.

 

Yawning heavily, Chris closed the tour bus door shut before jogging up the small flight to stairs. Throwing his long coat on to the booth next to Tyler, he headed to the coffee maker and pressed 'On.' "This thing is so slow." He groaned.

 

"You just turned it on," Skylar pointed out as she rolled her eyes.

 

"So," Chris replied before he stuck his tongue out, "I need some caffeine before the next interview."

 

Tyler looked at the vocalist from the corner of his eye, not bothering to turn his head away from the television. "Tired?"

 

"Just a tad bit," Chris answered as he bit back a yawn. Shaking his head, he looked at the TV, "Another pile up?"

 

"Nah, just three cars,"

 

Skylar chuckled, "Only in California would a three car accident not be a big deal,"

 

"Shh," snapped Tyler, "I'm listening, God. So annoying."

 

Chris rolled his eyes while he heard Skylar mumble something under her breath. Glancing at the coffee maker, and frowning at the lack of the brown liquid, he slid into the booth next to Skylar. "Where is this?" He whispered to the girl.

 

"On the 80 I believe," she replied, shrugging lightly.

 

"Doesn't look that bad," he mused as he narrowed his eyes on the small screen, "Except that red Ford got T-boned."

 

"Yeah, the driver probably got hurt pretty bad," Skylar murmured.

 

Chris sighed. Turning his attention back to the TV, and snapping at Tyler to turn it up, he tuned into the newscaster's voice.

 

"As you can see, that this is a horrific accident. One fatality, the driver of the Ford, and the passenger of the Ford is on the way to the hospital in critical condition. The others have made it through with mere scrapes and bruises. We are still trying to get the names of the people in the Ford, and once we do, you can trust Channel 5 to give you that information. Now, to recap. We have a three car accident on the Westbound side of Highway 80. It blocks two lanes, so you might have to change your route to get to your appointments on time. Police and Firemen are on scene. We have one fatality, a middle aged man, and his son – the passenger of the Ford – is on the way to the hospital in critical condition."

 

"Wow," breathed Chris.

 

Tyler nodded, "Sad too. I hope the son makes it through."

 

Their attention was snapped back when the elderly announcer snapped back to life as he was handed a small sheet of paper, "We have the names now. Sadly, the one who has perished is Derek Mickealson. He was 52, and lived in San Francisco. He had one son, Aaron Mickealson, age 23, and he's in critical condition. I repeat. The driver of the Ford was Derek Mickealson has sadly moved on, while his son, Aaron is at the hospital in critical condition. Our condolences to family and friends of the Mickealson family.


	3. Domum

Piper rushed through the hospital doors, her breaths fast and uneven. She bolted straight for the information desk, and demanded that she be told were Aaron Mickealson was. The nurse, a middle aged blond looked up at her with steely gray eyes. "And you are?"

 

"Piper Halliwell, I'm his godmother," She replied.

 

"But no blood relation to him?' The nurse asked.

 

Piper shook her head, "He has no mother though, and his father died in the accident," She said, her voice cracking when she told the nurse about Derek's death, "He has no one but me and his godfather."

 

"And that is whom?"

 

"My husband."

 

The nurse nodded, "Well, I'm sorry, but only blood relation can go into the ICU right now." Piper opened her mouth to retort but closed it when the nurse held up her hand, "which doesn't matter because Mr. Mickealson is in emergency surgery. I will talk to my supervisor and his doctor and see if we can work something out since he has no blood relation if you and his godfather can come in to visit him while he's in the ICU."

 

Piper nodded, "Thank you."

* * *

 

 

The nurse smiled kindly, "You're welcome."

 

Chris sat numbly, his eyes wide with shock and his heart running rampant with horror. Skylar looked at her boyfriend with worry, "Chris?"

 

"You have to go back dude," Tyler murmured.

 

"I can't Tyler," Chris sighed, his eyes clenching shut as if in pain, "It would do more harm than good,"

 

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Tyler hissed, "Your mom and brother were fucking worried out of their mind when you left Chris. It would bring a rainbow to their dread if you popped back up into their lives,"

 

"Tyler-"

 

"No, Chris, you need to go back," Tyler exhaled heavily, "Derek was like an uncle to you, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

 

"Of course it does!" Chris growled, "Aaron is like a brother to me! Don't you think I want to go back there?"

 

"Then why don't you!"

 

"Because I can't!" Chris exclaimed, "I"m not a Halliwell anymore! I gave up that right the moment I sat on an LA corner and strummed a chord for money!"

 

Tyler looked at his best friend with sympathetic hazel eyes. He watched as Chris twirl the sliver band that adorned his right index finger, a nervous habit. Gently, he placed his hands on Chris's shoulders and brought him into a hug, "You need to go back and you know it."

 

Chris hid his face in Tyler's shoulder, "The tour,"

 

"We have two weeks until we're flying out to London. We can cancel the interviews for the next few days. Your mom needs you Chris, and your brother is probably killing himself," Tyler dry chuckled, "and you were always his keeper."

 

Withdrawing himself from Tyler's embrace, Chris kept his gaze on the floor, "I don't even know where to start,"

 

"I'll call the company and tell them what's going on," Tyler said, resting his hand on Chris's shoulder, "You go pack, I'll come with you, make sure you don't injure yourself while you're out there,"

 

Chris nodded and trudged away and headed back towards the bunk area, the wooden diver sliding shut with a loud bang seconds later.

 

"Ty, what's going on?" Skylar asked, her eyes wide.

 

Tyler sighed, "Derek was Chris's Godfather and Aaron is his Godbrother," He told the drummer, "Derek was a great 'uncle' to Chris and Aaron was just another older brother that Chris had that was overprotective of him just like his biological one."

 

"Wow,"

 

Tyler nodded, "However, with this one death, Chris is going to have to go back to San Fran and deal with everything he's been trying so hard to leave behind,"

 

"Is there anything I can do?" Skylar asked.

 

"Can you hold the fort here?" Tyler requested, "I mean, I know you're Chris's girlfriend and you've been with us for three years but..."

 

'I understand Ty," She answered with a chuckle, "I mean, it took you two and half years to tell me why I suddenly got a call from the company telling me that there were two seventeen year old needing a drummer for tour."

 

Tyler smiled at the dark haired woman and hugged her, "Thanks Sky, this means a lot."

 

"Just make sure he doesn't get in trouble with his old man," She whispered, "And...make him tell his family the true reason why he left, they deserve that much."

 

The red-head nodded as he released the girl, "I need to go pack, the sooner we leave the better. Thanks again Sky."

 

Skylar smiled as she waved the man away before she sank into the booth. She ran a hand through her black hair, the long stands becoming tangled from the one brush, and then peered up at the gray ceiling of the tour bus. "Why do I feel like this is going to be when the shit hits the fan?"

 

* * *

 

Wyatt pulled to the Memorial Hospital and looked at the large building with heavy trepidation. The last time he set foot into this place is when Chris fell down some stairs during the night and broke his arm six years ago. That was not a good wake up call. Killing the engine, Wyatt stepped out of the Grand Cherokee, the night time wind making him shiver slightly. He sped walked to the sliding automatic door and his nose instantly wrinkled when the scent of bleach and medicine wafted towards him.

 

"Can I help you sir?"

 

Wyatt smiled at the young red-head, "Uh, yeah, could you tell me where Aaron Mickealson is?"

 

The woman nodded and quickly typed something into her computer and clicked a few things. "He's still in emergency surgery sir. Uh, but" she squinted at the screen, "his Godmother and Godfather are waiting in Waiting Room 3C on the fourth floor if you want to wait with them as well."

 

Wyatt nodded and told the receptionist his gratitude before trotting off towards the elevator.

 

"Hi Mom," Wyatt greeted as he wrapped the woman in a tight embrace.

 

"Hi sweetie," Piper replied as she held her eldest son at arms length. At the age of fifty-three, the once pure chocolate brown locks had slivers of gray intermingled. Crows feet had emerged by the corners of her deep brown eyes and by her thin lips. She was dressed in loose fitting black capris and a black shirt, a thin silver shawl wrapped tightly over her narrow shoulders, "About time you came."

 

"Sorry," he replied, "I didn't get your message until after dinner and then traffic was bad."

 

Piper nodded and ushered her son to the seat between her and her husband.

 

"So, Uncle Derek is dead," Wyatt whispered, his eyes on the green carpeted floor.

 

"Yes," Piper said before sniffling, "Let's just hope Aaron gets through his surgery."

 

"How long has he been in there?"

 

"Five hours so far," Leo answered, his green eyes shifting over to see his eldest son, "The accident must've done a lot of internal damage."

 

Wyatt nodded before exhaling long and slow, "Does Aunt Phoebe and Paige know?"

 

"Yes, Paige is on her way here now, and Phoebe has to stay home to watch the twins" Piper answered, her wary eyes shutting, "God, why did this happen?"

 

"Mom, it just happens. It was an accident." Wyatt said, taking his mother's hand into his much larger one, "A tragic one, but an accident nonetheless."

 

"Still, Aaron's a orphan. An orphan!" Piper exclaimed.

 

"He still has us honey," Leo replied soothingly.

 

Piper slowly nodded and took in a shuttering breath. "You would think a life full of people dying I would be use to this." She said with a humorless chuckle.

 

Wyatt sadly smiled. He knew what his mother was talking about. It was almost an everyday occurrence when they saw someone die or on the brink of it. But when it hit someone who was close to them, it was different than losing an innocent.

 

Piper sniffled one last time before wiping her red-rimmed eyes. "God, how much longer is this going to take?"

 

"As long as it takes them honey," Leo answered, rubbing his wife's back.

 

Piper frowned, "Well, they better hurry it up. I'm getting impatient."

 

* * *

 

"Hello, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked, a small, kind smile on her lips.

 

"Yes, I was..uhh..wondering if you could tell me were Aaron Mickealson is?"

 

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the men before her. The tallest one had tuffs of burnt red hair sticking out of his light brown winter hat, his eyes hidden beneath brown sunglasses. He had a brown leather jacket on, the hints of a black shirt being seen at the collar. A silver band on his right index finger was exposed when he poked the guy next to him. The shorter man was dressed in completely black. A black fedora hat with his shoulder-length black hair was perfectly straight and well-kept. She would kill to have that healthy of hair. His eyes were hidden at well behind sunglasses. An ankle-length black coat was tightly bound over his thin, toned body. Rebecca could feel herself drooling.

 

"Yes," She said, quickly typing the name of the patient into the computer, "and may I ask who is visiting?"

 

"Uhh..." the two men looked at each other before the red-headed man answered, "Tyler Larson and Chris Halliwell."

* * *

 

 

Chris looked at the pale oak door before him and simply shook. He couldn't do this. Who was he kidding? Put him in an arena with fifty thousand people and tell him to sing, he could do that in his sleep. But to place him here with only a door between him and his family, he was scared as if the Source was on the other side.

 

"You can do it," Tyler said, placing his hand on his shoulder, "And if your Dad is an utter ass, I'll send him into the wall."

 

"I can do that too Tyler," Chris muttered before shaking his head, "Its just...once I go back, I can never hide myself again like I did this time."

 

"It will be fine Chris," Tyler responded, "Trust me. This will all work out."

 

Chris narrowed his eyes at his best friend and crossed his arms, "Are you not telling me something?"

 

A smirk stretched upon the red-head's lips, "Maybe."

 

"Tyler."

 

"That is my name, don't wear it out," Tyler quickly quipped, "So, are we going to do this, or are we going to do this?"

 

"We're no-"

 

"Who the hell are you?"

 

The two men quickly swung around and locked eyes with the furious red-head that was Paige Mitchell, her husband Henry and daughter Samantha coming up behind her. "Honey," Henry said, telling his wife to knock it off with a simple glance, "Are you friends of Aaron?"

 

Chris looked at Tyler, wincing slightly. With a faux deeper tone, Chris responded, "Uh, yeah."

 

Paige raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, "Right. And how come I've never seen you before with Wyatt?"

 

"We weren't friends with Wyatt," Tyler answered.

 

"Right," Paige said slowly, obviously not believing the man before her.

 

"I've seen you before," Samantha said, her eyes narrowing as she leaned closer towards Chris, "And if you think you're fooling someone with that fake accent, you might not want to be an actor."

 

Chris blinked. Yep, Samantha's a Halliwell, he said within his mind. "Uhh..."

 

"Oh my God," Samantha gasped, "You're Damon Payne and, that means, you're Jaiden Luican!" She nearly shouted.

 

Chris held up his hands, "Shh, quiet."

 

"Wait, Aaron was friends with Pariah," Henry asking, blinking.

 

Chris sighed as he reached up and pulled off his sunglasses, his sage green eyes unhidden from their usual eyeliner. "No, he was friends with Chris Halliwell."


	4. Altus

Paige gasped, her brown eyes wide with shock. She took a step forward as placed both of her hands on her youngest nephew's face, "Chris?"

Chris nodded, "Yes Aunt Paige, I"m back."

Paige's eyes teared up before she wrapped her arms around Chris's neck, "Oh God, Chris you have no idea how worried we were!" She leaned back, "How could you just run away like that?"

Chris sighed, "You'll understand some day, but not today."

"And why not," snapped Paige.

"Its not the right time Auntie," Chris responded with a small frown, "Hi Uncle Henry, Sammy."

Henry smiled as he gave Chris a gentle hug, "How are yea kid?"

"Pretty good," Chris answered as he leaned back from the embrace, "And yes, I still have your guitar."

"Good," Henry chuckled out, patting his nephew's shoulder.

"So wait, my older cousin, is Damon," Samantha said, "So...is Jaiden...actually Jaiden?"

"Nope!" The red-head answered as he slid off his sunglasses, "Chrissie's best friend Tyler actually."

"Okay, is Skylar some weird person too." Samantha sighed, her hands on her hips.

Chris chuckled, "No, Skylar is Skylar a drummer we hired from the company. We're the only ones with fake names, don't freak out too much Sammy."

Samantha sent Chris a small glare before walking over and wrapping her arms around Chris's small body, "Shut up, God, can't believe I love your band but yet didn't notice it was you."

Chris chuckled, "There is a reason why I do wear all the junk I have to."

Samantha sighed, "So, have you seen Aunt Piper or Uncle Leo yet?"

"No," Chris answered as he looked back at the door, "Not yet."

Paige smiled as she wrapped an arm over his shoulder, "Well, let's get going huh? Your Mom is going to be over thrilled."

Chris sighed, "Yeah, thrilled."

Henry chuckled, "Don't sound so excited buddy," he said before he opened the door.

"Piper, look who decided to appear once again!" Paige exclaimed as she ushered Chris inside.

Piper glanced up and stared at the man before her. Scared green eyes interlocked with her chocolate brown ones. "No," she breathed.

Chris slowly let a smile appear on his lips, "Hi Mom. Wyatt. Le-Dad."

"Chris!" Wyatt yelled, standing up.

The young man flinched at his brother exclamation but nodded nonetheless, "Hey bro."

Wyatt made his way towards the twenty year old, examining him."Where the hell have you been?" He asked.

"Uh...all over the world actually." Chris answered with a forced chuckle.

"Chris,"

His attention was diverted from his brother to his mother, who was creeping towards him. He watched as she took his hands into hers and her eyes bored into his. Tears started to well up in Piper's eyes as she choked out a "Why?"

Chris smiled sadly, "I wish I could tell you Mom."

Piper gathered her son's face, "And why can't you? Don't you think I deserve to know why my son decided to pick up his stuff one day and run away!"

Chris winced at his mother's harsh tone, "You do Mom, it just..."

"Just what Christopher?"

Chris shook his head, "It's not the right time. We need to focus on Aaron and Uncle Derek's funeral."

Piper sighed but released her son's head only to wrap her arms around his form, "I've missed you Peanut."

Chris wrapped his arms around his mother, "I missed you too Mom. So much," he whispered.

Piper smiled as she released her son from her embrace, "Now, go hug your brother before he punches you. And don't think this conversation is over with mister. The minute all this is settled, we're going home and discussing this."

The young man nodded before heading over towards his brother, "Hey."

"Gone five years and all you can say is hey?" Wyatt growled, "Don't you realize how much you put this family through,"

Chris exhaled, "Look, I'm sorry, but I had no other option at the time Wyatt."

"What was going on that you chose to run away instead of telling us what the hell was going on!"

"Something, alright?" Chris bit back, "I came back to check on Aaron and to go to Uncle Derek's funeral. Then, if you want me out of your hair so damn bad, I'll go back and we can pretend like this never happened."

"And where the hell do you plan to go? Where the hell did you live before all of this?" Wyatt asked.

From across the room, Samantha snorted. "You haven't recognized him yet?"

"Uh..he's Chris." Wyatt answered.

Chris chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Really Wy? Are you that involved in work that you can't pick up a tabloid. I was in one, what a week ago Ty?"

Tyler tapped his chin from his place by the doorframe. He didn't really want to get into the family matters, but hey, Chris asked him a question, "I believe so, or was it two weeks ago?"

"What does a tabloid have anything to do with this?" Wyatt snapped.

Samantha sighed, "Hello. He's Damon Payne, lead singer to Pariah, and Tyler is Jaiden. God, we just watched them on T.V."

Wyatt blinked as he looked at his smirking brother, "So, you left to go get famous!"

"Not initially." Chris replied with a small shrug, "It just sort of happened."

Wyatt narrowed his blue eyes, "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Look, I'm sorry alright. But it was either a record deal or end up starving and dying!"

"You could've came back!"

"No I couldn't Wyatt!" Chris growled back, "I have my reasons. Reasons that you don't need to know about. If you have any trust in me, you would know I didn't leave my family alone for some ludicrous reason!"

"How can I trust you when you could just up and leave again!"

"I was sixteen," Chris replied, "It was the only idea I could come up with. If I could turn back time, yes, I could change what I did, but what's done is done."

"You act as if you did nothing,"

Chris sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "How long has Aaron been in surgery?" he asked, leaving the argument with his brother for a later date, preferably for when he ever did find out the reasoning why Chris left the manor five years ago.

"Five and a half hours," Piper answered.

Chris nodded and glanced around the room, "And how many of you haven't eaten in that time period," He asked, slightly glaring at his mother.

"I couldn't eat if I wanted to," Piper responded.

"Ty, go get some food," Chris said.

"What no please?" Tyler inquired with an eyebrow.

Chris rolled his eyes and threw a piece of plastic at the red-head male, "Please, and don't get killed or mobbed on the way. Low profile."

"Killjoy," Tyler muttered as he slid on his sunglasses, "Learn to bask in the fame dude, not shy away from it." he said before sliding out of the waiting room.

Chris rolled his eyes at his best friend before glancing around the room. Wyatt was still ticked at him, which he could understand. His mother looked like she wanted to lock him in his room and never let him out, again, understandable. His father...looked like he wanted to see Chris six feet under. Chris gulped slightly. "Hey Dad."

Leo simply nodded towards his youngest son, but remained seated. Chris exhaled slowly and lowered himself into a chair, "Does anyone know the extent of Aaron's injuries?"

"No," Piper replied as she took the seat next to Chris and tightly grasped his hand, "So...you're in a band?"

Chris chuckled, "Yeah. Never pictured I would be in one when I sixteen. Like I said, it just sort of happened."

"How does something like that happen?" Samantha asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Uh, its a long story," Chris replied with a small shrug, "Long story short, record company out of the blue offered us a deal to tour with a small group who needed an opening act. We hired a drummer, we went on tour, company liked us, offered us a contract and here we are today."

"A big ass band with a large fan following!" Samantha exclaimed, laughing.

Chris rolled his eyes, "We're not that big Sam. We're on our first headlining tour. If we were big, we would've been on one a few years ago."

"Psh, Virgin just didn't know your fame."

"Right. Fame." Chris replied, snorting slightly, "More like, they didn't like that our first record bombed." He yawned slightly and tried to cover the expression with the back of his hand before it slid into his pocket. His eyes looked at the vibrating Blackberry with disdain.

Pressing the accept button, he held the phone up to his ear, "Hello?"

His family watched as his eyebrow furrowed, "No, we're not canceling the UK tour. Skylar told you what was going on." A slight pause, "Yes, a close family friend has died, and no you don't need to release it to the media." Another pause, a sigh, "I don't care if you want to give the fans a reason, say it was for personal reasons...No, I don't care if it sounds like I'm going to rehab or something but you don't need to blab my personal life Caleb...No, that's final...I don't care what Virgin says, I pay you, you listen to me...Thank you...You too...G'night."

He frowned as he placed his phone back in his coat pocket before glancing up. "Uhh, what?"

"Who was that?" Samantha asked.

"My publicist." Chris quipped, "Now who's calling me," he growled as he once again reached into his pocket, "What do you want," He answered harshly, "No, just got off the phone with Caleb, apparently Virgin isn't too happy with this vacation...told him personal reason...yes I know that sounds like I'm going to rehab Ty, but there's hasn't been any recent articles about drug use so I don't see how it would be able to connect the two...true, stupid media...uh, just a coffee is fine with me...yes, you can use it, that's why I gave it to you dumbass...right, what ever you say, and if I find any funny charges on my card I'm coming after you with potions...I don't care about personal gain when you steal a couple thousand from me for stupid crap...Ty, just get the food and get your ass back here before someone spots you and then we have a mob at the hospital...No, I don't want any food...I know when I last ate Ty...you're not my mother...I'll eat when I'm hungry...Tyler, I will hang up...I won't answer...I'll turn off my phone...Screw Virgin, they don't need to reach me twenty-four seven...Shut up, I wouldn't be the damn manager if you didn't fire our last one...Shut up Tyler, and get the damn food before I stuff your face into a pot of boiling acid potion...yeah, yeah, bye."

"Nice way to speak to your friends," Leo muttered.

Chris shrugged, "What can I say, Tyler and I have a special relationship," He drawled as he leaned back in the chair, his eyes sliding shut as he supported his head with his hands, "So, has anyone called Aunt Phoebe?"

"She's busy watching the twins," Paige answered.

"They're nine now," Chris replied easing an eye open, "They can't come with?"

"Let's just say sibling rivalry isn't good with active powers," muttered Henry.

Chris snorted with a small smile on his face, "That brings back some fond memories."

"Not for Mom," Wyatt mumbled.

"I didn't say for Mom, I said for me," Chris replied with a shrug, "And where the hell did Tyler go for food, China?"

"No, down the street," Tyler said as he walked through a door, "At the mystical place known as McDonalds."

Sitting up fully, Chris glared at his best friend, "Credit card, now."

"Jeez, calm down Chrisse, I didn't do anything with your precious credit card," Tyler replied as he started to hand out the food.

"Right and I'm the queen of England, fork it over mister."

"How about I give these nice people and then give you the credit card or is your patience really that short?" Tyler said with a smile.

"You...are a jerk."

"Why thank you," Tyler said, "And here is your coffee, curiosity of the jerk."

Chris sent a small glare at the red-headed male but took the offered cup with a muttered thanks. "Alright," Tyler said, "Who wants a hamburger? I got chicken nuggets, a bunch of fries."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Did you get drinks?"

"Uh," Tyler winced, "No."

Sighing, Chris stood from his seat and slid on his sunglasses, "I had some singles I wanted to get rid of anyways," he muttered.

"I'll come with you," Samantha said as she jumped up from her seat.

Chris raised an eyebrow at his overzealous cousin but shrugged and held the door open for her to zoom out of. "I'll be back in a few moments. I think I remember what everyone likes," He said over his shoulder.

The hallway was completely empty, the only sounds were the faint beeping of heart monitors and the soft whoosh of ventilators. The bright white of the walls and floors were a sharp contrast to the pitch black sky in the few windows that dotted the walls. Saline and bleach made Chris's nose wrinkle as it bit sharply into his nostrils.

Glancing at his younger cousin from the corner of his eye, he wondered what people would see if they saw him walking down the street with an average day girl. She was dressed in a pair of kakhi capris with a light blue blouse. Her brown hair was in a haphazard ponytail, and her hazel eyes were wide with wonderment as she cast glances at him. Turning the corner, the duo found what they were looking for at the end of the hall.

"Okay, you can stop looking at me as if I'm going to fade away into smoke or something Sammy." He muttered as he pushed his first dollar into the soda machine.

"Well sorry that I never expected to have my idol as my older cousin," she drawled.

"Okay, you've been spending way too much time with your mom," Chris said as he handed her the soda, "Hold that please."

Samantha frowned as she took the can from her cousin's hand, "Are you ever going to tell us why you ran away?"

"In due time maybe. I don't see why it's so relevant,"

"Oh, I don't know, but it's pretty scary when your cousin just decides to up and leave one day without even leaving a damn note, and then five years later he comes back famous and acts as if nothing has happened." Samantha hissed, "Are you insane Chris! We were close and you couldn't even murmur to me why you were leaving? Or even Wyatt? You two were inseparable and yet, you can't give us any warning?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing Sammy," Chris replied.

"Then leave a note, something! We thought that... _They_ took you or something," She bit out, "Aunt Piper and Phoebe and Mom went down there for two weeks looking for you, while everyone else was looking topside."

"Look Sam, I'm sorry alright," Chris snapped, "But, there were things going on that I didn't want to burden the family with. And me being famous isn't that big of a deal. As soon as this is over with, I'll be out of everyone's hair. I just came back to honor Uncle Derek and to make sure Aaron is alright."

"But I don't want you to leave," muttered Samantha.

"I don't really have a choice Sammy," Chris said, "I leave in two weeks to go to the UK for a tour."

"Cancel it!"

"I can't, I'm in a contract, and I can't put my life on pause just because I got reunited with my family. I have other people to worry about. If I cancel this tour, hundreds of people are going to be out of a job and thousands of people are going to be pissed that we're not coming." Chris answered, "Please understand that."

"I'm trying Chris but its hard when you won't give us a reason why you ran off to play rockstar in the first place," She said as the two started to make their way back to the room, their arms full of soda.

"I didn't run away with that intention. I was on the streets for two weeks before Ty found me when he went to go visit his older sister at college. We borrowed some money from her and rented a motel for a week. In the span of that week, I found myself a job at a bar and I found myself in band with Tyler because that was the only way we knew how to make money. We were high school dropouts technically. Three weeks into playing at the bar, a radio DJ heard us and asked us to demo a few songs for a couple hundred bucks. We were desperate for money, so we did. We didn't expect for the CEO of Virgin to hear us and offer us an opening spot on a small three week tour. And then we didn't expect to get offered a contract. I stumbled onto fame by accident Sam. Music was the only way I knew how to get money and I had to use it. Now, I'm the lead singer of a well-known band, but yet I'm not. I'm shrouded in masks because I had to do in order to hide from you guys. I had to turn Goth to hide from my family."

Samantha blinked, "Wow...but why? Why did you have to do all of this?"

Chris sighed as he gripped the door handle, "Because if I didn't, I might not be alive today."

* * *

Three hours past, and nothing had change in the waiting room. A silence had fallen, it was slightly uneasy with a hundred questions swimming in everyone's mind and with a giant elephant known as Chris and Tyler sitting there too. Chris sat with his gaze settled on the outside; looking at the stars every now and again. Somewhere in the midst of time, Tyler had fallen asleep and shifted so his head rested on Chris's shoulder, the position nothing new when the band tried to stay up after a show to watch a movie his shoulders were using both occupied by his friend and his girlfriend. He never knew his shoulders were so comfortable. Across from him was his father and brother, the two blonds practically attempting to set Chris ablaze with their glares. On the other side of him was his mother – who was still clutching his hand – and the Mitchell family. Everyone decided to wait until at least sunup to call Phoebe to let her know about Chris's reappearance.

A soft knock broke the stale air and woke all the sleeping people within the room. Seconds later, the door eased open to exposed a salt and pepper haired man, his gray eyes holding mass amounts of exhaustion. His sea-green scrubs was dotted blood and a doctors mask hung limply around his neck. "Hello, I'm Doctor Alderson, I was the surgeon that perform the surgery on Mr. Mickealson."

"How is he?" Piper asked.

The doctor ran a hand through his hair, "Well, there was massive internal bleeding, that is what took the most of the time. We had to make sure to suture everything and to make sure we had every rip and tear. We had to give him fifteen pints of blood throughout the whole procedure. He fractured his right leg, right below the knee. However, it's his left leg we're worried about. The way the tibia and fibula broke, we're not sure if it's going to heal correctly."

"So. What does that mean?" Piper asked.

"He might never be able to walk normally on that leg Mrs. Halliwell. Or he might not be able to walk at all if heals badly enough."

"Well, couldn't you have set it and put some pins in?" Leo asked.

The doctor shook his head, "It seems as if the tibia broke first and twisted slightly before the fibula broke."

"So, you'll have to wait until it heals slight before breaking it again and fixing it," murmured Chris.

"Yes," the doctor answered, "But, the term of money also comes into affect."

"He's covered,"

"That's the thing Mrs. Halliwell," the doctor said softly, "The insurance company won't see the second surgery as a needed one, it will be seen as a optional one."

"Meaning?"

"They won't pay for it Mom," Wyatt told her.

Piper inhaled shakily, "But, how much is that going to cost?"

"At least seven hundred thousand dollars, if not more ma'am," The doctor answered.

"Oh God," Piper said.

Chris frowned, "Seven hundred thousand?"

"Yes sir."

Standing, Chris went to the doctor, "Can we talk outside?"

"Uh, I'm not done briefing the injuries."

Chris smiled, "I can fill them in when I get back." Gently, he led the doctor outside, "Okay, is seven hundred thousand the minimum cost?"

"It will probably cost around a million dollars sir. I don't mean to be rude but who are you?"

"I'm Aaron's Godbrother," Chris answered, "A million?"

"Yes, with room costs and everything will cost roughly that."

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, do you have a piece of paper?"

"Uh, yeah." The doctor said, handing him one and a pen.

Chris quickly scribbled something onto the paper, "Send the bill to this address."

"But sir-"

"Send the bill to that address, and do the surgery when it has to be done. You will be paid in full." Chris reassured.

"You have to-"

"You can send it for me, I need to return to my family. And I probably won't be here for the second surgery." Chris told the doctor, "So, what are Aaron's other injuries?"

"Uh" the doctor scrambled to get his thoughts in the right place, "His right radius was also broken by the impact, and three of his right ribs were fractured."

Chris nodded, "Alright, thank you Doctor. And, are we able to see him tonight?"

"No, he's still in recovery. The earliest you'll be able to see him is three o'clock this afternoon sir when he's moved to his own private room."

"Thank you again Doctor." Chris said as he shook the man's hand, "I'll pass on the news to my family."

The surgeon nodded before walking off, a confusion look still in his gray eyes as he did. Chris chuckled as he went back into the room. "We can't see him right now, he's still in recovery. The doctor said the earliest we'll be able to see him is maybe three this afternoon if he is moved to a private room."

Piper blinked, "They kept us here only to tell us that we can't see him?"

"Mom, he's probably heavily sedated anyways," Wyatt placated.

Piper growled but stood up anyways, "Well, we better get home. We'll call Phoebe in the morning and tell her what's going on."

Chris nodded, "Ty and I will find a hotel close by."

"No mister, you're coming home with us," Piper snapped, "Tyler is welcomed to join us."

"Mom, I'm not four anymore, I can go get a hotel," Chris said.

"You're still my son and you will stay at home with his family."

"Mom, in a matter of," the black-haired man paused as he took out his phone and glanced at the time, "two hours, this cell phone is going to be ringing every five minutes. So, if you want  _any_ sleep, you'll let us get a hotel room."

"Home."

"Hotel."

"Home."

"Hotel."

"Damn it Christopher, you are coming home and that is final." snapped Piper, "We need to sit down and have a discussion why you decided to abandoned your family for this life!"

Chris narrowed his eyes, "I'm getting a hotel. I'll be at the house at eight. We'll have six hours to sit down and talk then."

Piper opened her mouth but was distracted by a hand being placed on her shoulder, "Let him go Piper," Leo murmured, "If he wants to stay at a hotel instead of with his family, let him."

Chris narrowed his eyes, "I'll be at the manor at eight. I promise."

"You better be Chris." Piper said, "I lost you once, I don't want to lose you again."

Chris sadly smiled at his mother, "You won't Mom."

Piper nodded, "Well, you better get going then. I'll talk to you in a few hours then."

Leaning forward, Chris pecked his mother's forehead and hugged her tightly, "I'm not going anywhere Mom. Not right now."

"Yeah, until Aaron gets better and Derek's in the ground, then you'll be gone again." Piper murmured into her son's chest.

"I do have a tour to do, but it won't be like last time Mom. I'll be in contact. Just trust me a little bit alright?" whispered Chris.

Piper shook her head yes as she leaned back, "Now go and get some sleep. I'll have breakfast on the table for both of you. I want to hear what you've been up to for the past five years, instead of turning Goth and having a boyfriend."

"Why does everyone think Tyler is my boyfriend?" muttered Chris as he crossed his arms.

Tyler smiled as he wrapped an arm around Chris's shoulder, "Because we look so damn hot together."

"Right," Chris answered with an eye roll and gave Tyler a poke in the side which got rid of the red-head from hanging on him.

"Alright, we'll talk about Chris's sexuality and sex life later," Paige said as she clapped her fingers, "I'm tired. I want to crawl into my own bed and snooze. So, lets go."

Chris frowned as he was ushered out by his family. Giving his Mom and the Mitchell family one last hug, Chris turned and headed for the doors with Tyler by his side. "You, no touchy," Chris said as Tyler went to swing his arm around Chris's shoulder.

"Aw, does Chrissy no love Ty anymore," Tyler replied in a high-pitched baby voice.

"Not like that dude," Chris answered as he unlocked his black Mazda RX-7.

"Aw man and here I thought I would have some fun tonight." chuckled Tyler.

Chris shook his head as he softly laughed, "Just get your ass in the car."


	5. Fabula

Chris sighed as he looked at the familiar green front door that kept the outside world from his entering his childhood home. The manor still looked like he remembered. The siding was still the dark maroon color with the forest green shutters. A black roof, and of course, the green front door with stain glass inserts.

"You know, it might help if you knock."

Chris turned to glare at Tyler through his sunglasses, "Quiet."

Tyler just smirked and reached forward to knock on the door, "There. I did it for you."

"I hate you."

"Aw, love you too Chrissie."

Chris shook his head and knocked on the door again since no one came to open it. "Where the hell are they? They told me eight."

Pushing his sleeve up and glancing at his sliver watch, Tyler cocked an eyebrow, "Well, technically its 7:57, we're early."

"Tyler, shut up," Chris replied as he knocked on the door again.

"Coming! Wyatt, you couldn't get the door!"

Chris chuckled under his breath when he heard his mother scolding his old brother – who was probably nestled on the couch watching television. Soon the door swung open and a tired looking Piper stood in the threshold, a small smile on her lips. "Chris, Tyler, sorry about the delay,  _someone_ didn't hear the door apparently."

Chris smiled as he gently embraced his mother, "Its alright. We weren't standing there for too long,"

"How are you today Mrs. H?"

"I'm fine Tyler, thank you for asking," Piper replied as she shut the door behind the two, "Breakfast is cooking, Wyatt's in the living room."

Chris nodded and gestured that the bassist should follow him. Stepping into living room, he saw his brother – still clad in his pajamas – curled up on the couch; idly watching television.

"Hey Wy," Chris greeted.

Blue eyes shifted over to the black haired male before they returned back to the TV. Chris exhaled heavily before he turned towards Tyler, the red head standing a bit awkwardly in the room. Wyatt glanced at his younger brother, the twenty year old conversing with his best friend in hush tones. Chris was dressed rather fancy for just being with his family for the day. He wore a pair of fit black jeans with a short coat that look to be made out of wool covering his torso. Bundled around his neck was a thin black scarf and his hands were covered with black fingerless gloves. Overall, to Wyatt, Chris looked like one big goth.

Beside him Tyler looked under dressed compared to his vocalist. He wore a pair of taut black jeans as well, but just wore a plain black t-shirt and black leather jacket.

"...Virgin calls, Caleb is losing his job,"

Wyatt raised an eyebrow when he caught the end of his brother's murmurings.  _Caleb, that's Chris's publicist, right?_.

"I don't see how someone could mess up a simple quote," Tyler practically hissed; the red-head crossing his arms over his chest, "I know he's my cousin, but this is ridiculous."

Chris lifted his hand to knead his forehead, "I just don't want him to end up back on the streets."

"It would be his fault Chris and you've done all that you could. He's probably too high to understand the words that were coming out of your mouth." snorted Tyler.

"We'll deal with it later," Chris muttered, "Damn it," he swore as he reached into his pocket and withdrew his Blackberry, "It's Sky." He told Tyler before answering the call, "Hey...I'm fine, just a bit tired, yesterday was hectic..." a long sigh left Chris's lips, "Yeah, I know, Caleb screwed up...You have got to be kidding me," groaned Chris, "Alright, Ty and I will deal with it...talk to you later...bye."

"What's up?" Tyler asked.

Chris turned towards his bassist, "Did we bring the laptop?"

"Yes, why?"

"Fans are swamping the website. Apparently, word got out that we cancel the UK tour, we need to reassure them that we are going to London in a couple of weeks, or they're going to cancel their tickets or kill us," Chris told him.

Tyler frowned, "Fire him, if you don't I will."

Chris glared at the redhead, "The last time you fired someone, I got stuck with their job," He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, "Go get the laptop."

Tyler nodded and took the offered item, "I'll be back in a few minutes, its back at the hotel." he told Chris before trotting out.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Chris shifted slightly to look at his older brother, "What?"

"Apparently you're having problems." Wyatt murmured although his eyes stayed glued to the TV show he was watching.

"It comes with the territory." Chris replied, "Its not all sex, drugs and rock and roll...well, it's hardly ever sex and there's never drugs...so it's just rock and roll." he added with a small shrug.

"Not the life you were envisioning when you ran away?"

"Not this again," groaned Chris, 'I didn't run away to get famous Wy. When is that going to get through your thick skull?"

"When I find proof to believe it," snapped Wyatt.

"Oh, God forbid you believe me because I"m your brother,"

"You left without a reason Chris!" exclaimed Wyatt, the blond man standing as he locked eyes with Chris's, "Who the hell wakes up one day and just leaves and ditches his family! Tell me Chris? Cause I really want an answer!"

"Someone who doesn't have any choice," Chris seethed.

"That's bullshit!"

"Whoa, Whoa, what is going on?" Piper asked as she rushed into the living room, spatula in hand.

"Nothing," both boys muttered as they broke the staring contest they both were in.

Piper looked at her sons with worry and confusion. It was obvious that a riff had split the two once-upon inseparable boys. "Wyatt, stop attacking your brother, he'll tell us his story after breakfast."

Wyatt glanced at his mother. Nodding slightly the blond lowered himself back onto the ivory, ornate couch; stiff and uncomfortable. Chris remained standing; his arms crossed over his chest and wore a stoic face as he looked at the television. "Where's Dad?" Chris softly asked.

"He was taking a shower when you arrived, he should be down soon honey." Piper answered, "Breakfast will be done in a few minutes. No more fighting you two...Hey, what happened to Tyler?"

"He had to go get something from the hotel, he should be back in a few minutes," Chris replied.

Piper looked at her black-haired son, "Is everything okay?"

"Just a mix up with some stuff Mom, nothing for you to worry about," he replied with a soft smile.

"Alright, well, I better get back to the pancakes before they burn," Piper said, "Remember, no fighting."

* * *

She smiled broadly as she slowly eased the door open, her deep chocolate brown eyes shifting around as she looked for her intended target. She frowned when she saw that he wasn't in the hallway but the scent of pancakes and bacon led her to her next destination – the kitchen. He always loved it there. Quietly, she made her way across the hall; making sure her heels didn't make any noise on the hardwood floor.

"Mom,"

She whirled around to silence her eldest daughter, a manicured finger held firmly to her lips. Beside her, her husband chuckled. "You too," she muttered as they continued their trek deeper into the manor.

"Where's your friend?"

She swore under her breath. Paige beat her here.

"He's getting something from the hotel."

She couldn't help but let a broad smile stretch upon her lips when she heard the familiar tone. It was a tad bit deeper than when she last heard it but the same tone was still within that voice. Pressing her hand onto the white swing door, she eased it open, and once she caught sight of his back, she pounced on her pray.

A deep chuckle came from her target as a hand came to pat the arms that she swung around his neck, "Hello to you too Auntie."

She released him for a moment – only for him to turn around – before she latched back on to him. "God kid, where the hell have you been?"

"Around..."

Holding the man at arms length, she peered into his sage green eyes, "Around...can't you be a bit more specific there buddy?"

"the world..." he finished lamely.

"Chris...she probably has no idea what your job is," Paige said with a small chuckle.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow as she looked at her nephew. "Job? What are you a...pilot or something?"

"Cause being a pilot would make him dye his hair and dress like he does," muttered Piper.

Chris chuckled as he shook his head, "Uh...have you heard of Pariah?"

"Yeah Sam's obsessed with that band and has the crush on that one guy...God, what's his name again?" Phoebe muttered.

"Damon Payne?" Melinda – Phoebe's oldest – peeped.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

Chris smirked, "Well, you're looking at him. I'm Damon."

Phoebe blinked as she looked at her youngest nephew, "...You're kidding. Funny. Haha, now what do you  _really_ do for a living?"

"Uh, I'm really Damon Payne Aunt Phoebe," Chris said, "Trust me."

Phoebe chuckled, "Wow, you guys are very committed. Got Chris to dye his hair and everything. So, what have you been doing for the past five years?"

Chris groaned, "I'm the lead singer and guitarist for Pariah. I didn't dye my hair because I wanted to, it was because I had to Aunt Phoebe. I've -"

"Chris? I'm back!"

"We're in the kitchen Ty!" Chris replied.

Phoebe watched as a red-head man came in, a small laptop in his hands. "You're a writer?" she guessed.

"No Aunt Phoebe," Chris sighed before he turned to his Uncle, "Hi Uncle Coop."

Coop smiled as he embraced his nephew, "Hey kid. How have you been?"

"Living." Chris answered truthfully, "Now where are the brats?" he asked once he was released from his uncle's hug.

"Hey! We're not brats!" Melinda replied as she wrapped her arms around Chris's thin waist, "Nice clothes by the way."

Chris chuckled as he patted Melinda's wavy brown hair, "Thanks brat number one. Now, where's your evil twin?"

"Over here," Payton answered as she hugged Chris from behind, "We trapped you."

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" Chris said monotoned.

"Uh, sorry to break up fun time, but you might want to look at this dude." Tyler said, waving over Chris.

Carefully disentangling himself from the hug, Chris made his way over towards Tyler – who made his station on the island. Glancing at the screen, Chris read the numerous comments that worried fans have placed all over the site wondering if Pariah did really cancel the UK tour. "Post on there that we didn't cancel," Chris told him, "Hopefully that should rectify this."

"Maybe you should call Virgin and make them release a statement," muttered Tyler as he scrolled through the hundreds of comments.

Chris bit his bottom lip, "I don't know. I don't think there's much they can do. Caleb screwed up the quote and now we're paying for the damn consequences."

"Wait, I'm confused here," Phoebe quipped, "What's going on? UK tour? Quote? What is going on?"

"She doesn't know?" Tyler inquired.

"She does, she just doesn't believe it," Chris replied, "Aunt Phoebe, we – Tyler and I – are in the band Pariah. I am the singer and guitarist, Tyler is the bassist. We have a UK tour in two weeks. Caleb – my publicist – screwed up on a quote which resulted in everyone thinking we canceled the tour, which is causing total bedlam."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, "So, wait, let me get this straight. My nephew...is part of a famous rockband."

"Yes." Chris answered.

"Wait...didn't Sam have a crush on the lead singer?"

Turning around, Chris looked at his wide-eyed cousin. "Really? You had a crush on me?" he asked with a smirk.

Samantha narrowed her eyes, "Shut up. I didn't know you were my cousin. Trust me, I had nightmares last night about it."

"Wow, I feel like I should be insulted in someway, but yet this situation is just too funny for me to care," Chris replied chuckling.

Tyler smiled, "Halliwell incest. Sexy."

Chris rolled his eyes as he smacked the back side of Tyler's head, "Post that statement. I already got a call from Sky, I don't need one from the CEO of Virgin."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Tyler as he rubbed the back of his head, "God, didn't have to hit so hard."

"Psh, nothing in there to damage anyways." Chris replied with a shrug.

"Chris be nice," Piper scolded.

Tyler looked at Chris, "Yeah, Chris. Listen to Mommy and be nice."

"I will kick you off stage." threaten Chris, "and no, I won't feel guilty when you get raped by thousands of fangirls."

Tyler gasped, "Meanie."

"And proud of it, now do what I told you to do," Chris sighed, "If that is Virgin, you're flying to London in the bathroom." He told Tyler when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Hello?" he greeted, "Caleb, just the guy I wanted to talk to," he said as he shifted through his family and headed out into the dining room to speak to his publicist.

Tyler watched with bemusement at the Halliwell family pressed themselves to the door, trying to hear the conversation.

"I don't care what your excuse is Caleb, you've screwed up, and this isn't the first time you've done it either!" Chris bit out, "You don't realize what you did! Tyler has to post and reassure our fans that we are going to Europe! Caleb, nothing you say can rectify what you did. I'm surprised Virgin has called yet! They'll probably get swamped with arenas calling them making sure we're still coming! And you know we're on a thin thread with Virgin! You couldn't have fucked up at a worse time Caleb," He hissed, "You should be the one fixing this, but once again, Tyler and I have to go and clean up after you...Here's an idea Caleb, keep the bong out of your damn mouth and maybe you can focus...Bullshit, you have no reason to have medical marijuana, I'm not an idiot Caleb...fine, if you're not going to give up marijuana, you're fired. Pack up your shit and move out of the apartment, I'm not longer paying for your rent...Have fun living on the streets."

They heard Chris sighed before another curse word left the young man's lips. "Hello? Hi sir...yes, we're fixing it right now...Yes, Caleb messed up my quote...My Godfather has passed on and my Godbrother is in the hospital...I understand...Yes, I will be able to go on the tour no problem sir...Caleb...has been taken care of sir, he'll no longer be a problem...We can deal with our own quotes...If you don't like how we function sir, then why did you sign us in the first place? Yes sir. I will sir. You too, thank you. Bye."

Chris sighed, "Why the hell did I agree to this?"

"I would move away from the door if I was you," suggested Tyler, his eyes still on the computer screen.

The Halliwell family took the redhead's warning and rushed to their previous spots. Seconds later, Chris re-entered the kitchen. "I'm not stupid, I know you were listening."

"Virgin called?"

"Yeah, he's not happy." Chris sighed, "Our thread just got a whole lot thinner. I fired Caleb too."

"Good, about time. Maybe it will be a wake up call for the pothead." snorted Tyler, "There! Comment has been posted. So, everything should be alright."

" _Should_ ," Chris repeated with an eye roll, "With our luck, it isn't."

"Chrissie, happy thoughts, not sad, depressing thoughts." chided Tyler, "God, you need to see a therapist or something. Or Xanax... or at least I think that's for depression?"

"Ha. Ha," Chris dry chuckled, "You're so funny."

"I know, you don't need to tell me, your laughter is all I need." Tyler said with a mock bow.

Chris raised an eyebrow, "You have no idea how close I was to kneeing you in the face,"

"Chris. Be nice!"

"Mom, I'm twenty not two."

"I'm still your mother, and you will be nice to your boyfriend while you are in this house."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

* * *

Nervously, Chris settled down onto the couch, his whole family surrounding him. Next to him was his only ally in this interrogation, Tyler – who was sitting beside him rather rigid.

"Tyler, why don't you see your parents? I'm sure they've missed you as well," Piper suggested, a small sweet smile on her face.

"My parents died a few years ago Mrs. H," Tyler answered with a small shrug, "The only family I have is my older sister, who doesn't live here anymore," he further explained.

"Oh,"

Tyler smiled at the older woman before his hazel eyes shifted around the room. Chris's parents sat directly across from them on a pair of armchairs; Wyatt was sitting on the floor between them. To the right of them stood the Mitchell family, and standing the in the threshold of the living room and hall was the Valentino family. Tyler gulped. There was no way in hell that this was going to end well.

"Alright," prompted Piper, "How did this all start?"

"Uh, how did what start?" replied Chris.

Piper narrowed her eyes at her youngest son, "Don't start. You know what I am talking about."

Chris sighed as he peered down at his hand, the gloves were gone and stuffed in his pockets, and started twirling the silver band that was on his index finger. "After I ran away, I hitchhiked to L.A. Don't know why, that's just where I ended up. All I had was three days worth of clothes, twenty dollars, my guitar and a few other items. I had no job, no where to live and no food. I realized this when I arrived in L.A and stood there like a damn idiot for half an hour trying to figure out where to go. So, I slept on a bench that night, and when I woke up I did the only thing I could that would bring in money. I sat on the corner of a street and played my guitar for money. If I was lucky, I made twenty dollars that day. Usually, I made about five. I did that for about two weeks then this idiot came and found me."

"Hey! If it wasn't for me, you would still be living on the corner," snapped Tyler.

Chris raised an eyebrow, "I would have eventually gotten a job...or something."

"Sure you would have," drawled Tyler, "Just continue with the story about how I saved your life and made you famous and wealthy."

Chris rolled his eyes before he continued his tale, "Anyways, Tyler came and started yelling at me, which most of it never registered in my head because I was so shocked. All I got was that he was there in L.A to visit his older sister and he saw me, and he should kill me. He took me out to lunch and there he came up with the idea to form a band. Before I could even shoot down the idea, he has his phone out and he's telling his family that he isn't coming home. Then he called his sister to borrow money and the next thing I know I'm in a hotel and in a band. A few days later, I found a job at a local bar as a dishwasher and a bus boy. I got forty dollars a week and on Tuesdays and Thursday, we were allowed to play on the small stage that was in there. So, six months after doing that, we get confronted by a radio DJ and he asks us to do a few of ours songs for a few hundred bucks. We quickly agreed because we were broke. So, we did that and then we went back to what we were doing. Five weeks later, we get told that the CEO of Virgin – Alan Kindel – wanted to meet with us. So we go the building and we get asked if we wanted to go on a six week tour with one of their small bands as the third bill opening act."

"Third bill opening act? Explain." Paige inbutted.

"We were opening for the opening who was opening for the headlining band, which had almost no fans." Tyler answered.

"Anyways, we traveled around in a small, beat-up bus that hardly had enough room for our instruments and it broke down every other day," Chris continued, "But it was fun. The other bands were welcoming. At that time, we had to use one of their drummers to fill in. So, we returned to L.A six weeks later and Alan wanted to see us. Apparently, we had a small gathering of fans and they thought that maybe it could increase. So they wanted us to sign with them. We agreed to a three album contract within five years contract. Shortly after, Alan got a hold of one of their freelance drummers – Skylar Quincy – to come aboard for our first album and official tour as a signed band. Within three weeks, our first album – Lumen – was finished and a week later, we were on a small five week West US tour to promote it. We were opening for yet another band who was opening for another not really known band at the time. Long story short, that album bombed. We got reprehended that we needed to get sales or we were going to be dropped. However, when Tyler and I made this band, we agreed that we weren't going to abide to the social standards of pop music so we stuck true to our guns and continued to write like we always did."

"You mean, I sat back, you wrote the songs and every now and again, I would suggest something and then get glared at," Tyler clarified

"Same thing," Chris replied with a shrug, "So, after a few more opening tours, we decided to get back into the studio and record Malum. This album took us seven weeks. Two weeks after my eighteenth birthday, we debuted it. It got some sales, but not a lot at first. We figured that we should do a music video. So, we picked our first single – Welcome To The Universe – it was a simple live video that has screenshots and small clips of our live shows. Our sales increased, a little. A few weeks later, we went on tour with LeCross, a band that was fairly popular in the Eastern part of the United States. Through that tour, we got a bit more popular. Two weeks into the tour however,  _someone_ fired our manager and forced me to take on the role." Chris bit out, glaring at a sheepish looking Tyler, "Anyways, my first idea as manager was to go to Toronto and film "The Kill.""

"And that is where Chrisse debuted as our director," Tyler butted in with a broad smile.

"Wait, you directed The Kill?" Melinda asked.

Chris nodded, "I've directed The Kill and any music video afterwards. So, we got to Toronto and filmed that. After staying up countless nights, I finished editing the film and gave it to MTV and VH1 and such to do what they would with the film. Next thing I know, it's number three on the Top Twenty Countdown and our record sales shoot up. Sure, they weren't as big as some of the other bands, but that album went gold about two weeks after that video came out."

"And thus our tale of fame and fortune really begins," butted Tyler with a large smile, "After the video, Virgin regained faith into us. It was nice, we were famous. People bowed down to us! I basked in the fame while Chrissie hid from it. During our second tour, we sat down and realized something. Fake names weren't going to keep us hidden for you guys. So, we had to change our looks. So, I bleached my hair...bad idea. Burned so bad," Tyler shuttered, "My poor hair."

"You were the one that wanted to be bright blond and not get some hair dye," Chris replied.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at the black haired male, "I wanted to be different."

"Yeah, that want made you bald for a month and a half and I had to hear you moan and complain."

"Shut up," Tyler snapped; crossing his arms and holding his nose snobbishly into the air, "And here I thought you care about me."

"You're not dead, so I guess I do," Chris muttered.

"You are an ass," Tyler said, "Anyways, back to the tale of Pariah. So we returned to Virgin and they were all happy-like for us. We were all happy-like for being famous. However, it was time for a change. Chris and I packed up the stuff in our apartment, paid back my sister, and move to Chicago...well, a suburb of Chicago. We do like  _some_ privacy now, you know for stuff."

Chris smacked his forehead, "Stop making it sound like we're lovers or I won't let you tell the story."

"Jeez, stick out of butt, stick out of butt," Tyler replied, "Alright, so, we moved to Chicago and a few months later my sister joined us. She didn't want to be away from her precious baby brother."

Chris shook his head, "Her job got transferred. I think she actually cried when she found out there she was living near you."

"Yeah...tears of joy."

"Looked like tears of misery to me."

" _Anyways,"_ stressed Tyler, glaring at his best friend, "So, we secluded ourselves in Chicago. Chris was trying to get the approval from Virgin to do our next music video, which took  _forever_. A few weeks after my sister moved into the apartment above us, we got approval to do our next video."

"From Yesterday!" peeped Samantha.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner," Tyler said with a smile, "We boarded a plane and flew over to China. Such a lovely place. Nice people. Nice towns. Cheap labor."

"Tyler!" snapped Chris, "They weren't cheap. Trust me, it came out of my pocket."

"Eh, details," Tyler replied, waving his hands in a dismissive gesture, "Anyways, we filmed that in two weeks, flew back over here and almost immediately, Chris was trying to get the approval for our next video while he was editing. I tried to help. But whenever I asked what can I do, I got glared at. So I stopped trying. I just gave him food. I had to make sure he didn't die. The 'From Yesterday' video had finished editing a week after we got back. Instantly we were being requested for interviews and articles. But we were kind of out of the United States and somewhere a lot colder."

"It wasn't that bad." Chris murmured.

Tyler looked at Chris, "This is because you lost feeling in all your appendages idiot."

"Eh, I kept all of them."

"Barely. That would've been a nice conversation." Tyler held up his hand, the thumb and pinkie extended to resemble a telephone, "Hi Virgin? Yeah, Damon has to retire. Why you ask? Well, because he was a dummy and didn't bring gloves or wool socks so he lost all his fingers and toes!"

"Must you be so dramatic?" Chris lazily asked.

Tyler blinked, "I"m a drama major...of course I"m going to be dramatic."

"Are you going to get back to the story or not?"

"So, our destination for the last music video for Malum – Edge Of The Earth – was in the Arctic on top of a glacier."

"That doesn't sound safe," Phoebe said.

Chris nodded, "I almost fell into the water a few times. The glacier split apart quite a few times, one time right underneath Tyler. Skylar was almost too scared to get on the ice cube."

"Hell, if you weren't paying me, I wouldn't have gotten on that thing," Tyler inputted.

Chris shrugged, "I enjoyed it."

"Congrats to you," drawled Tyler, "Would you like a cookie?"

"Yes."

"Can you get me one too? I'm famished."

Chris groaned, "We just ate Ty."

"You should know I'm always hungry Chrissie."

"...Is that your hint that I need to go grocery shopping?"

Tyler chuckled, "Maybe."

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"Boys!"

Tyler and Chris's snapped towards Piper, the Halliwell matriarch looking at the two boys with a raised eyebrow, "I hate to break up your little lover's tiff, but back to the story please."

"Oh right. Where was I?" Tyler inquired as he tapped his chin.

"Edge of the Earth." Chris answered.

"Oh yeah! So, we flew back, Chris edited, aired, big hit, you know the same story as The Kill." summarized Tyler, "Knowing that we ran out of singles on Malum, we decided to start recording Aperio. Chris made us crank it out. He was a slave driver. He wanted to see us six feet under! He wanted us dead! He wanted-"

"They got it!" Chris exclaimed.

"Hehe, always, so that was produced pretty quickly. Then we started our last US headlining tour seven months ago. Just a few days ago we performed in L.A. which was our last stop. And now in two months we're flying to the UK to do our first Europe tour...uh...the end."

"Is that the end?" Piper asked, "Because I feel like there's something missing."

"Well, Chrissie is pretty cozy with Sky." Tyler said with a shrug.

Chris sighed, "Must you say it like that?"

"So, you're in a relationship?' Coop asked, "With your drummer."

"Yes, Skylar and I have been in a relationship for the last seven months."

"I don't feel much...love from you towards her." Coop said.

"I've only been going out with her for seven months! Jeez." exclaimed Chris, his eyes wide.

Tyler smirked, "I knew you always loved me."

"I will shoot you."

"Oh, just admit and then we can break the news to Skylar nice and easy," Tyler said soothingly, "She'll understand. Then, we can go in your bunk and have - "

"If you finish that sentence I will personally throw you out of the damn airplane and watch you as you plummet to the ocean below with so much glee I will go insane." Chris hissed.

Tyler blinked, "Uh...I thought you were already insane."

"...I'm going to kill you!" Chris exclaimed, standing as Tyler leaped over the side of the couch and ran away from the angered Chris, who was running after him, screaming at him.

Piper blinked as she watched her twenty year old son run after his best friend, promising his death with every word that came out his mouth. "I thought he was suppose to be the more mature one," she heard Paige say.

Phoebe shrugged, a smile on her face, "It's cute. Tyler makes sure Chris doesn't get too serious, that he keeps a more...fun side of him."

Piper frowned, "They just better not break anything."


	6. Concisus

The chase ended twenty minutes later after an entrapment and a hard hit to a red-haired head. Piper watched with an amused look as a smirking Chris saunter back into the living room with a frowning Tyler trailing behind him, the redhead rubbing the back of his head. The two settled back on the ivory couch. "Alright," Chris said, "Continue."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow as she watched Tyler rub the back of his head with a pitiful pout on his handsome face. "How hard did you hit him?"

"Hard enough," replied Chris with a shrug.

"I think you knocked out my brain," muttered Tyler.

Chris feigned surprise, "You had a brain? I didn't know that."

"You are mean," Tyler bit out, his hazel eyes narrowing on his best friend, "Why the hell am I friends with you?"

"Uh, because we've been friends since we've been in diapers."

"And your point?"

Chris smirked, "You would've been killed without me Ty, especially in high school."

"Stupid jocks."

Chris chuckled as he shook his head, "And the preps. Don't forget them,"

"Stupid preps."

"Are you done?" asked Chris.

"Stupid people,"

"Apparently not," sighed Chris, "Anyone else you hate while we're at it."

"Yes, you. Right now, I hate your guts so much I want to send you the fiery pits of Hell."

"Can feel the love Ty."

"Well, you shouldn't be because there none coming from this soul."

Chris dabbed his eyes as if he was crying, "You're so mean Ty."

"Now you know how it feels you little shit."

"Hey! There are children here." hissed Chris, gesturing towards his ten year old twin cousins that were nestled on Coop's lap; the man sitting on the floor.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "and you think they've heard a naughty word before?"

"No, but we would like to keep it to a minimum," Phoebe quipped, "Now, can we continue with our questioning."

"Yes, you can continue with the interrogation." Chris answered.

"Why did you leave?" Wyatt quickly asked.

Chris turned to look at his older brother, his father looming behind the younger blond, "For reasons."

"And those reasons would be?" Paige inquired, a thin red eyebrow rose in question.

"Personal ones."

"Can't you just tell us?" pleaded Phoebe.

Chris shook his head before his eyes fell to his hands; his fingers twirling the silver band on his index finger. "You should tell them," he heard whispered.

Looking out the corner of his eye, Chris saw Tyler leaning towards him, a slight pleading gleam in his honeysuckle eyes. "I can't." he hissed back.

"And why not?" Wyatt exclaimed, standing from his floor seat.

Chris glared at his brother, "I have my reasons. Honor them."

"No! I want to know why the hell my brother decided to ditch his family one day!" yelled Wyatt, his arms stretched out wide, "I want to know why we wasted five years of our lives looking for your ass when you were just in L.A. living it up while we thought you were dead or something!"

Chris stood slowly, his eyes hard as rock. "I didn't ask for you to search for me."

"What did you expect us to do?" snapped Wyatt, "Just sit around? Of course we're going to look for you. You're family."

"And as family you should respect my choice not to tell you why I decided to leave." Chris bit out.

"Well, its obvious that Tyler knows," Wyatt snapped as he gestured towards the redhead, "Why the hell can't your own family know?"

"He caught me at a weak moment. I was broke and I was homesick. I wanted to return so badly, but I knew I couldn't."

"And why the hell couldn't you?"

Tyler stood up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Calm down before you blow up the room."

Chris narrowed his eyes before take a few deep breaths, "Wyatt, I get it. You're pissed off at me. I promise that I will disclosure the reason why I left, but not right now. Right now, we need to focus on Aaron, not me. We also need to start planning Uncle Derek's funeral."

Piper smirked, "Not going to work mister. Already done, did it this morning. Next week Monday at McKeel Funeral Home. Two PM."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Really? That...sounded easy."

"Derek's will had where he wanted to have his funeral. He'll be buried the day after in Levar Cemetery."

"So, spill." Wyatt demanded.

Chris once again glared at his brother, "I'm not going to spill it Wy. Learn to deal with it."

"Why can't you just tell us Chris," Phoebe inquired.

Chris reached up and pinched his nose with his forefingers, "Because I can't. Why can't you understand that? It's not that hard of an idea to grasp."

"Alright, everyone sit down," Piper counseled, "Now." everyone did as the matriarch requested, "We'll stay away from that topic...for now. But you will tell us eventually and  _before_ you leave on your tour."

Chris opened his mouth to counter but when he saw his mother's steely gaze he shut it and just nodded. "Alright," Piper said with a small nod, "Did you finish High School?"

Chris blinked, that was a question he didn't expect, but with his mother's high expectations of education it was only a matter of time. "I got my GED when I was seventeen."

"College?"

"Online."

"Major."

Chris rolled his eyes at his mother's rapid questions, "Music education."

"Are you minoring?"

"Yes."

"In what?"

Chris sighed, "Music Management and Drama."

Piper nodded, "Good."

Chris shook his head, "Glad I make the standards."

"Chris," Leo growled, his dark green eyes narrowing on his son.

Chris gulped as his body tensed. Five years away from his man and his body still stiffened at the sight of anger in the man's eyes. His head instantly bowed and the twirling quickened as his heart raced. Flight and fight instincts were taking over his lithe body.

_Are you okay?_

Chris barely nodded, just enough for his best friend to see.

He saw Tyler raise an eyebrow before he asked telepathically,  _then why the hell do you keep twirling that ring? If you keep it up, we'll have to get new ones. Calm down, he won't do anything in front of your family._

"I know," whispered Chris.

_It would be better if you just told them. Screw Leo. You're hurting them more by not telling them._

"Shut up," Chris bit out almost silently before he stood up, "I need to call Sky, make sure everything is going okay for the tour."

Tyler stood up, "Chris." he glanced at the confused family and sent a remorseful smile towards the Halliwell clan before following the retreating man.

Phoebe watched as the two men walked towards the kitchen. It was quite obvious that something happened between the two and somehow it happened without them knowing. "Okay," she heard Paige pipe up, breaking her thoughts, "What just happened?"

"Well, obviously, some how the two can speak without us hearing them," muttered Piper, her eyes narrowing on the two vacant spots on the couch, "Last time I knew, Chris didn't have telepathy."

"Things could've changed in the five years he's been gone," Coop pointed out.

"I know, its obvious that things have changed." she muttered sadly.

"It will be alright honey," Leo said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "It will be alright."

* * *

Chris threw open the front door and stepped out onto the porch and took a deep breath of the chilled air. His heart was still racing and his body was urging him to run; to get out of harms way. Prescott street had come to life within the few hours that he was inside. People were now out, walking their dogs and running. Children were riding bikes and just playing random games that only an innocent mind could think of.

"Chris?"

"Tyler, I don't really want to talk."

"Okay," Tyler responded as he eased the door shut. He looked at his friend, the man resting his hands on the porch's ledge, his sage green eyes watching as a duo of children ride their bike in a tight circle giggling. Chris's back muscles were tense and Tyler wondered if they hurt.

"I remember when we use to play out here," murmured Tyler as he came to stand beside the black haired male, "Catch fireflies, ride bikes, play soccer, play those stupid games we thought of."

Chris chuckled, "Yeah, I was the knight and you were always the dragon."

"Yeah, and you use to try to slay me," Tyler remarked, bumping the twenty year old with his hip, "and you always had to chuck that damn ball at me. Ever heard of a soft toss."

"You would've dodged it then," drawled Chris, "and it didn't hurt that bad."

Tyler raised an eyebrow as he leaned his lower back on the ledge, "Right. That's why I got bruises every damn time we played that game."

"Yeah, your Mom wasn't too happy about that."

Tyler smiled, "No she wasn't. But she also knew that no matter what she said I was going to be back out there playing that stupid game with a my stupid best friend."

Chris chuckled as he shook his head, "Don't know why you went through all that crap. Would've been a lot easier to ditch me when I was younger."

Tyler snorted, "Right, if I did that, I wouldn't be famous. Hello, seers blood here. Abate really, really diluted, but I knew I had to stay with you."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Should I be offended? I feel like I should be. You made it sound like you hung out with me as an obligation, but I'm not sure."

Tyler laughed, "Nah, it wasn't an obligation more like a job...or are those the same thing?"

"Thanks Ty."

Tyler smiled, "You're welcome. Anytime."

Chris rolled his eyes before sighing, his attention returning to the activity of the neighborhood.

"You do realize that you'll have to tell them eventually."

Chris hung his head, "Yeah, I know. Its just...I can't when he's in the room. He'll kill me before I can even utter the words."

"You can defend yourself Chris. I know you can." Tyler said.

Chris groaned as he rested his head on the ledge, "I didn't want to return for this exact reason."

Tyler placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed it softly, "You knew you had to face this eventually Chris. It was only a matter of time."

"Didn't mean it couldn't happen when I was seventy or something." He heard Chris mumble.

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Chris. You can't keep running from your problems. They're going to come back and kick you in the ass. You have a destiny to fulfill."

Chris rose up to stand, "I gave up that destiny the moment I walked out of door five years ago Ty. There's no way I can take their spots with Wy. Wy and I don't even have a connection anymore."

"You do and you know it," Tyler replied, "Stop all this depressing shit. I thought the therapy got through all of that crap."

"Ty, I just can't." Chris begged, "Can't you understand that? Please."

Tyler frowned when he saw the weakened form of his best friend. Chris was looking at Tyler with unshed tears in his eyes, his body shaking slightly from being in the same environment as his abuser, and the ware and tare of their lives adding to the depressing sight that was Chris. Tyler sighed as he wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter man. "Chris, I agree with your mother. By the time we go to London, you need to tell your family what happened."

Chris closed his eyes as he rested his forehead on Tyler's shoulder, "How the hell do I tell my mother that her husband beat the shit of her son nearly every night?"

"You just do Chris," Tyler answered, "Like you told me and Sky."

Chris nodded, "I'll do it...after Uncle Derek's funeral."

"I'm holding it to you."

"Can you release me first. It's bad enough that my family thinks I'm going out with you, don't need the whole street to think so too."

"But I love you Chris," wailed Tyler, tightening his grasp on the squirming Chris, "I love you with the intensity of a thousand suns!"

"And people wonder why I write the lyrics," Chris growled as he tried to push himself away from the redhead, "Tyler, release."

"I love you Chris! I want you in my bed!"

"Tyler! There are children!"

"I didn't say for sex, God, dirty birdy." Tyler muttered, "I just thought we could read for a bit. God. Head in gutter." chuckled Tyler as he released the fuming Chris, "Nice hair."

Chris's shoulder length hair was heavily disheveled from struggling with Tyler's grasp. Narrowing his eyes, Chris smoothed his hair back into place. "You are an ass."

"Chris, there are children afoot." gasped Tyler as he opened the door, "Keep innocent ears innocent."

Chris rolled his eyes as he cuffed the back of his best friend's head making the redhead yelp in pain. "Come on, it's probably time to go see Aaron."

Tyler nodded as he followed the black-haired man into the manor. "If we want to make it to the hospital on time, we should leave." he announced when he re-entered the living room.

Piper glanced up at her son. His sage green eyes were cold and calculated as he stood in the threshold, his arms crossed over his chest. "Ty and I will follow you guys to the hospital."

"Why can't you just come in the same car?" Piper asked.

Chris exhaled heavily, "Because I have my own car. Plus, Ty and I will probably just head back to the hotel after we leave."

"Stay here tonight, please Chris," pleaded Piper.

"Mom I can't."

"Why not? What is stopping you from spending time with your family?" exclaimed Piper.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "Mom, not now."

"Why not Chris," taunted Leo, a small smirk playing on the blond lips.

"I'm sure you know why," Chris growled.

Piper turned to look at Leo, confusion was swimming in her brown eyes, "Leo, what is he talking about?"

"Nothing," Leo quickly answered.

"What? Afraid?" taunted Chris before he shook his head with a heavy sigh, "Come on Ty. We'll meet you at the hospital."

Piper's head snapped back towards her son, "No wait-" her hand fell when she saw the last of her son's back disappear through the front door. Slowly, she turned to look at her husband, "Leo, what is going on?"

"Nothing Piper."

"Bullshit. There is something going on between you and Chris, and I want to know!" snapped Piper.

Leo narrowed his eyes on his fuming wife, "There is nothing to tell Piper. Now, come on. We need to go see Aaron and make sure he's alright."

* * *

Tyler glanced at his best friend as they sat at a red-light. The radio that was usually blasting alternative rock music – or their random genre of crazy, silly songs – was quiet. The soft rumble of the car was the only noise that either of them dared to listen to. The red-head wanted to say something to his fuming best friend but decided that if he wanted to keep all of his body limbs he should remain as he was.

"I know you want to say something," murmured Chris as he started to ease off of the brake as the light turned green, "So, say it."

"I have nothing to say," Tyler answered.

Chris rolled his eyes; quickly glancing at the redhead with a small smirk, "Right. Tyler, you always have something to say."

"Well, not this time."

Chris sighed, "Tyler, just say it before I make you say it."

Tyler smirked, "Oo, punishment."

"Not like that you damn sex addict," Chris bit out.

Tyler chuckled, "I'm not a sex addict. I just...really enjoy sex."

"And go through withdrawal if you don't have it."

"Nu uh," Tyler answered childishly, "I haven't had sex for three months thank you very much."

"What do you want a medal?"

"...There's medals for that?"

Chris frowned, "Okay, we deviated from the question. Are you going to tell me what the hell you wanted to say back there?"

"You could've told them back there," Tyler said with a small shrug.

"Not the right time Ty. We're suppose to be dealing with Aaron, not with my past problems."

"They were more than problems Chris,"

Pulling into a parking spot, Chris leaned his head on the steering wheel as he turned the car off. "Tyler, I don't really want to talk about this. I just want to go see my Godbrother and then leave to the UK in a few days. Is that so wrong?"

Placing a hand on Chris's back, Tyler nodded, "Your mother deserves to know Chris."

"Why?"

"He could turn on her Chris," whispered Tyler, "Do you want that? He's held off for five years. All that pent up rage, it has to go somewhere. And that somewhere could be your mother's face. Do you want that?"

"No,"

"Then grow some balls and tell her." snapped Tyler.

Chris chuckled as he sat up, "Yes Ty, would you like anything else."

"I want those ba-"

"Don't even finish that sentence or you're going to end up in Valhalla."

"Oo, Mist."

"Two words. Sex. Addict."

* * *

Chris leaned against the pale white wall, his eyes shut and his chin leaning against his chin. His arms were crossed over his chest and his right foot was placing on the wall behind him. Beside him was Tyler fidgeting like a small child. "Will you hold still for two seconds? She'll be back out in a moment."

"Get him ready? Why the hell does she have to get him ready for your return?" Tyler muttered.

"Let's see. I've been gone for five years. He just went through an extensive surgery and his father just died," drawled Chris, "Must I continue?"

"Must you always be a smartass?"

Turning his head slightly, Chris smirked at the brooding redhead, "You know the answer to that."

Tyler chuckled, "Comes with being your best friend since diapers."

Chris softly laughed as he turned his head back to the closed door in front of him. His family went in to Aaron's room five minutes ago, to break the news of his father's death and the news of Chris's reappearance. Chris sighed as he began to twirl the sliver band that circled his finger.  
"If you keep that up, we're going to have to buy new rings," Tyler said when he placed a hand on top of Chris's.

"Sorry," whispered the half-Elder.

Tyler shook his head, "You just need to calm down. Aaron will welcome you with open arms and you know it."

"Oh, and the impending question doesn't matter at all?" snapped Chris.

"Its perfectly logical that he would ask why Chris. Wouldn't you want to know why someone just packed up and left one day?"

Chris groaned as he slammed his head on the wall behind him, "I hate this. I hate being all...stressed out and depressed. Just a week ago I was happy in my own little world."

"You were perfectly happy," Tyler interjected.

"I was fine though."

"You missed your family and you know it Chris," Tyler told him, "I knew you did. You would get that annoying far off look and I knew you were thinking about your family. Don't deny it."

"I wasn't going to. I thought about them everyday," Chris answered softly, "Even though there hasn't been a demon attack since I was five, I still worried that they were killed by one. I mean, Wyatt is still the twice-blessed even if there were no organization in the underworld there are demons out there that want his blood."

"They're too busy fighting each other to worry about witches," Tyler reasoned with a small shrug, "Its when they do reorganize we have to worry."

"Comforting thought."

"It's true though. Eventually, there will be another Source. And when that happens, it will be right back to where it was before. Witches versus demons like always in this never ending battle of good versus evil."

"Hopefully, that will be a few more years off Ty,"

"Yeah, hopefully,"

Chris looked up at the ceiling. "You should go visit your parents' grave while you're here."

"Yeah, I should," Tyler sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I'll do it...eventually."

"Tomorrow," Chris told his friend, "I'll drop you off on my way to the manor."

Tyler looked at the vocalist, "And leave you to the wolves? Are you crazy?"

"Been told I was a few times,"

"I can go on my own time Chris. We're in California plenty of times."

"Still, go while we're here. We don't know when we're going to be here again. Could be a while since we're going overseas."

Tyler nodded, "Yeah, true. But still."

"They're not going to do anything," Chris said, " _He's_ not going to do anything. I'll stick by Wy or my mom."

"Fine." Tyler replied, "I'll go tomorrow. You drop me off. I'll call you when I want to be picked up."

"Alright."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they awaited for the door to open. Chris shifted so that both feet were now on the tiled floor and his hands were in his pockets. His sage green eyes were locked on the door, the lids slightly lowered and a thin glaze were over the irises. His thoughts were a thousand miles away. Beside him, Tyler sank so that he was sitting on the floor. His knees were brought up to his chest; his chin resting on top of them. The side of his head was resting on Chris's leg. The seconds slowly ticked by as the two young men rested.

"Chris?"

Realization snapped into his eyes when he heard his mother's voice. "Uh, yeah?" He said as he shook his head slightly.

Piper raised an eyebrow, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, was just zoning out," Chris replied as he nudged the half-asleep Tyler, who quickly stood up, "Can we go in now?"

Piper smiled and nodded before she pushed the door open wider. Taking a deep breath, Chris started walking forward towards the white room. The first thing he noticed in the room was the faint beeping of the heart machine. Then the paleness walls and the stark contrast to the bright blue of the sky in the lone window in the small room. A small light oak dresser sat underneath the window. A few large bouquets of flowers in vases were resting on top, along with a myriad of Get Well Soon card and balloons.

"Wow,"

Chris turned toward the source of the whispered exclamation. Wide, red-rimmed dark brown eyes looked at him. Shaggy dark blond hair hung limply in front of the orbs as they swept across his body. "Chris?"

Forcing a small smile on his face, Chris locked eyes with his Godbrother. "Hey Aaron."

Aaron Mickealson looked at Chris as if he was looking at a complete stranger. He was nothing that the half-manicore remembered. He wore all black like a grim riper and had a sense of insecurity that never use to hang off of the Halliwell. But to see the familiar sage green eyes and to hear the same comforting voice brought a smile to the young injured man. "God Chris. Where the hell have you been man?"

Chris chuckled, "A lot of places,"

Aaron shook his head before stretching his arms – his right one tightly bound in a hard cast, "Do I get a hug or what?"

"Your ribs Aaron," Chris replied with an eye roll.

"Psh, I don't care. Get over here brat and give your non-biological brother before I give you a swirly in the toilet." Aaron mock threatened.

Chris laughed loudly before he walked over and gave Aaron a loose hug. "My condolences."

The vocalist felt Aaron tense before nodding into his shoulder, "Thanks."

Chris softly smiled as he withdrew from the embrace and stood a few inches from the bed. "I'm sure you remember Tyler." he said, gesturing towards the redhead.

Aaron nodded, "Yeah, that kid that stuck to you like glue."

"Still does," Chris answered with a chuckle.

"Thanks Chris. Can feel the love, really." Tyler said.

Chris smiled, "You should. I'm giving it to you all the time."

Tyler rolled his eyes at his friend, "I don't know why I bother with you."

"I'm your ticket to fame."

Nodding, Tyler smirked at Chris, "Yeah, that's right. Forgot about that. Thanks for reminding."

"Yeah, anytime."

Aaron blinked, "Uh..fame. Can someone please explain?"

"Yeah, our dear little brother went and became the lead singer of Pariah. Bet you heard that band before Aaron, I mean, they're only one of the biggest rock bands out there." growled Wyatt.

Chris sighed, "I didn't leave to become famous Wyatt. When are you going to realize that cause I'm getting really sick of this conversation."

Wyatt shook his head at his brother, "You don't realize what you've done Chris."

"I realize fully what I did Wyatt. What you don't realize is that you're so thick headed that you won't listen to my reasoning." snapped Chris.

"Boys," Piper interjected, her eyes hard.

"No Mom," Wyatt spat, "Chris needs to understand that he practically ripped our hearts out and stepped on him while he was out having fun. While he was getting famous and rich, we were up all night wondering where he was and scrying for him; searching desperately for him."

Chris glared at his brother, "Is that all?"

"No! I'm sick and tired of this damn attitude," Wyatt hissed, "You put this family through Hell! No Halliwell would've done that! Family comes first, that was the first lesson that was programmed into our mind. Obviously you didn't get that fundamental rule!"

Chris raised an eyebrow, "So I'm not a Halliwell?"

"No, honey, he didn't mean that?" Phoebe quickly said.

"Yes I did." Wyatt said, "You don't deserve to be a Halliwell."

Chris's eyes grew dead. Without a word, he reached up and exposed one of the processions he took that fateful night. A small pendent hung from a black lanyard around his neck, the necklace usually always hidden for it held a symbol that was held close to his heart – the Triquenta. Slowly, he untied the knot. Staring straight into his brother's wide icy blue eyes Chris held up the necklace for all to see. "I guess this is goodbye then,"

"Chris," Piper whispered, her hand outstretched as if to grab his arm.

Without another word, he dropped the necklace on to the hospital bed. He nodded towards Aaron before turning swiftly on his heel. Opening the door, he let a speechless Tyler out of the room first. "Someone in this room holds a dark secret," he murmured, "A mask carved of stone he wears and only I and he know what lays behind it. Uncover it and my story will be told."

"Chris, please stop." exclaimed Piper as she grabbed her son's arm, "Just stop."

Gently, Chris took his arm from his mother's grasp and shook his head, "Goodbye."

"Chris,"

Turning, he looked his mother in her moist eyes, "It's Damon." He said before he let the door swing shut behind him.


	7. Aperio

Piper watched with horror as the door swung back and forth. She could feel her heart beating against her chest, urging her to run out into that hallway and grab hold of her baby and tell him to get back in that room. Slowly, she turned and looked at the five males that were in the hospital room. Chris's prophecy like speech echoed in her head. Her eyes, once wide with horror, narrowed in disgust and anger. One of these men were the reason behind her son leaving the comforting arms of his family. One of them were the kick that forced her son at the young age of sixteen see the manor as a jail and made him flee to L.A. and from her. Her hands clenched. And she was going to find out who...and kick their asses.

* * *

Wordlessly, Chris opened the car door and slammed it shut. Tyler looked at his friend with fear and nervousness. The redhead could feel Chris's magical power bubbling underneath the Halliwell's skin. He was afraid that the fuming man would lose the weak grasp that he had on it and he would end up twenty yards from where he was sitting. Chris still had Halliwell blood running through his veins, even if he did renounce the name, and anybody with Charmed blood was bound to be powerful. Add in Elder blood and you had Chris, a man who could match with the power of the prophesied Twice-Blessed.

Chris's hand clutched at the steering wheel; his knuckles as white as bone. He couldn't believe it. He just officially left his family for good. He couldn't go back now. He broke his mother's heart when he told her that he was no longer Christopher Halliwell. With a shout, he slammed his right palm on to the wheel.

"Chris," Tyler whispered as he took Chris's hand as the black haired man heaved as anger coursed through his body, "You need to calm down."

"Oh, and how the hell am I suppose to do that Tyler?"

"I don't know but you need to," Tyler growled, "Your powers are tied to emotions. And your emotions are pure anger and you are threatening everyone's lives within a thirty feet radius if you can keep the under control."

Chris glared at the redhead. "I can control my powers Tyler."

"Not when you're pissed beyond belief." Tyler snapped "Now calm down."

Chris continued to look at his friend, his eyes narrowed and a hard sneer was on his lips. Without another word, he sharply turned the key and peeled out of the parking lot. Tyler exhaled heavily as he turned his head to gaze out the window. He knew that as soon as Chris would calm down; he would be all weepy and sulky and as his job as a best friend, Tyler would have to pull the black haired male from his dark abyss and pushed him back into manor and into his family. It would only take a few pushes and nudges to get the man where he was suppose to be. And then, Tyler can go back to trying to get Chris to tell his family about the horror that was his childhood.

Shortly, Chris pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and quickly turned off the car and then, just sat. His eyes were looking at the dirty white wall of the cheap hotel. Anything to avoid attention was what Chris said when the booked the room, much to Tyler's chagrin. Soon, Chris opened the door and slammed it shut; still paying no attention to the bassist. However, Tyler quickly followed his angered friend. He watched as Chris chuckled the keys onto the small table before secluding himself in the bathroom. Tyler growled when he saw the isolation attempt that the singer was attempting to achieve. Shutting the front door behind him, Tyler marched over to the door and banged on it. "Chris, get your ass out here."

"Ty...go away,"

Tyler exhaled heavily as he leaned his forehead on the soft oak door, "Please Chris."

"I'm not in the mood to talk,"

"I just want to make sure you won't do anything stupid,"

Tyler heard Chris sigh, "I won't Ty."

"Just open the door."

He heard a rustle come from behind the door and soon he heard the click of the lock unlatching. Quickly, he opened the door and saw the deflated form of Chris. "Why the hell can't I tell them," he heard Chris whisper.

Tyler frowned, "Chris. Stop beating yourself up."

"How the hell can't I?" snapped Chris, "Why the hell can't I tell them that Leo was an abuser. That he would come in, drag me out of bed, beat the shit out of me, then heal all the obvious signs. Plus, threaten everything that close to me to secure that I wouldn't tell anyone."

Tyler gently placed his hands on Chris's arms, "Calm down Chris. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"Why can't I get him out of my damn head!" Chris exclaimed, "Its been five years! I've been through therapy. How come I can tell you and Sky, but not my own flesh and blood?"

"Because we're not your family Chris," Tyler said softly, "You're afraid of breaking their sense of reality. Their sense of safety. They view Leo as a safe person, you don't want to whip the rug from underneath them. You don't want to question everything they believe is good by telling that an Elder – the highest source of Good in the world – would beat his youngest son nearly every night."

"I have to tell them," Chris murmured, "I have to tell. I can't have him...turning on them."

"Then go back to them Chris."

Chris looked at Tyler with wide eyes, tears making the beautiful orbs shine with fear and horror. "I can't Ty. Not after that."

"Wyatt is probably beating himself up about it." Tyler reassured.

"It doesn't matter Ty. He told me I wasn't part of the family anymore." A dry chuckle left Chris's throat, "Looks like I'm going to have to get a tattoo removed, huh?"

" Stop it Chris, he said it out of anger," Tyler said as he lightly squeezed the distressed witch's arms, "He didn't mean it. Put yourself in his shoes. His brother, his best friend left one day and then returns perfectly fine and a famous singer. Wouldn't you be pissed?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yes. You don't have to speak to me as if I was five Ty."

Tyler smirked. His Chris was coming back to who is was. "With the way you were acting yes I did."

Chris sent the redhead a small glare, the usual feeling behind it not reaching the still sorrowful eyes. Tyler just smiled at his best friend. "You are infuriating at times,"

"Yep," quipped Tyler, "And as your infuriating best friend I am sending your ass back to the manor to make up with your brother and family _and_ to tell them the dark shadows of your past."

Chris narrowed his eyes, "Make up, yes. Past, no,"

"Make up yes, past yes," Tyler rebuked.

"Tyler,"

"Chris."

"I am not having this discussion," groaned Chris as he made his way out of the bathroom and into the living room of the hotel.

"Yes you are," Tyler snapped, "I'm sick and tired of you dancing around the damn bush. Again, grow some balls and tell them."

"I can't Ty!"

Tyler crossed his arms as he leveled his gaze with that of the slightly shorter man before him, "And why not?"

"Because...I just can't!"

'Yes you can!" Tyler growled, his hazel eyes flashing a dark red before shimmering back to their normal color, "Or I will."

Chris glared at Tyler, "You will not. This is my past."

"And it's destroying you!" Tyler yelled, "I refuse to see my friend being eaten alive by a damn secret that he refuses to tell his family! You need to get it in the damn open! And if you don't do it tomorrow, by the time I return from the cemetery, I will tell your family."

"I never said I was returning to the manor Ty."

Tyler smirked, "Oh, yes you are. Oh, yes...you are."

* * *

He didn't. Chris never sat foot in the manor, much to Tyler's disappointment. He could see that Chris desperately wanted to see his family again but Chris knew that the altercation between him and Wyatt was the last straw for his brother and for his father. He was sure that Leo had killed his name within the Halliwell manor, disgracing him even farther than his actions already did.

Now, he sat in the cheap chair in the hotel; his gaze on the thin black Blackberry in his hand. Ten numbers filled the screen. Ten numbers that we so familiar that his fingers did the dialing without him realizing it. But now, his finger was hovering over one button : Call.

Faintly, he could hear Tyler whisper in his mind "Do it." But that was impossible since Tyler was at the cemetery visiting his parents' graves. Even as powerful as Tyler was the redhead's telepathy could extend over miles of area.

He had to do it. It was time to stop being a little child and own up to the past that had shaped him to be who he was today. With a shaking hand, he pressed the button and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

Chris took a deep breath. "Mom...can you and Wyatt meet me somewhere, please?"

* * *

A soft breeze blew around him; making him clutch his knee length wool coat closer to his body. Jefferson Park was a place that was close to his heart. It was the place where he and Tyler first intentionally met, on the playground that was on the other side of the park from where he was sitting. He would come to this place nearly every day to just sit on this bench and just gaze at the happy families that were playing. Especially the sons and the fathers. He would sit and wonder why they got together but he and Leo couldn't. He couldn't understand, even to this day, why the friction between him and his father existed. It just did.

"Chris,"

Glancing away from the playground, Chris turned to see him mother and brother trotting down the dark clay path. Chris smiled as he stood and embraced his mother. The woman clutched at him as if he was gone another five years and not two days. "Hi mom."

Piper withdrew herself from her son's embrace and sat down gingerly on the bench. Her small hands still held onto Chris's, as if that gentle grasp was to keep him where he was. Piper's chocolate brown eyes shifted to her eldest son, telling him with a simple glance to sit down as well. Wyatt did as he was told and sat behind his brother, the black haired male still sitting towards his mother.

"What is it you want to talk about Peanut?" Piper inquired.

Chris weakly smiled at his mother, "Well, you wanted to know why I left one day didn't you?"

"Oh, you're finally going to tell us?" Wyatt muttered.

"Wyatt," Piper said tensely, "What is it honey?"

Chris's gaze shifted to the ground and his hands began to squirm in Piper's grasp. "Peanut, please," begged Piper, her hands tightening around Chris's.

Chris squeezed his eyes shut, "You probably won't believe me."

"Honey, please, I just want to know why my son left one day without warning." Piper pleaded.

Chris gulped. "Mom-"

His attention was diverted from his mother's pleading face to the man behind him. Wyatt's hand was on his shoulder and the same pleading look was in his brother's icy blue eyes. Shaking slightly, Chris's head bowed. Gently, Piper pulled her youngest son towards her; his head on his mother's shoulder. Piper slowly ran her hand through Chris's hair. It always calmed her baby down, no matter what his age was.

"Peanut. Tell us, so we can help you."

Piper felt Chris turn his head so he could hide his face in his mother's dark blue sweater. "Mom...I don't know if I can."

"You can. I know you can Chris. Just tell us. That's what we're here for."

Chris exhaled deeply before he sat up fully. He refused to look at his brother or mother; his gaze on the oak in front of him.

"It started when I was three," He started, "It was shortly after Wyatt got his own room. Maybe a week or two."

"What started?" Wyatt asked, looking at his mother briefly. The Halliwell matriarch just shook her head to let her eldest son that she had no idea of what Chris was talking about.

Chris took a deep breath. "He would come late at night. Pull me by my hair out of my bed. I would hit the ground and then he would kick, punch, and slap me. Sometimes he would use things like my toys and other stuff to add to the pain."

Faintly, he could hear Wyatt growling. It almost brought a smile to his face that his brother still held such feelings for him even though he betrayed him. "Who?" he heard his mother hiss.

Chris shook his head. "After a...beating, he would tell me that if I told anyone he would get rid of me forever. And if he got rid of me, I wouldn't be able to continue with Wy's and my destiny of becoming the Charmed Ones. Thus, he would probably be killed. He would also tell me that if I did tell him, he would start beating Wyatt, or you Mom. It was stupid for me to believe this, I don't even know why I did," Chris exhaled as he shook his head, "This continued until I was sixteen," He heard his mother gasp, "Yes, thirteen years I dealt with this. For some reason, on the day that I left...I was looking in the mirror. Usually, the...attacker would...get rid of the obvious wounds but that night he didn't for some reason. I was looking at a black eye that I got and I was just wondering why. Why did I put up with this for thirteen years? Why haven't I told anyone what I was going through night after night," Chris gulped as tears threatened to bubble over, "Why didn't I tell you that my own father was beating the shit out of me nearly every night while everyone slept soundly?"

Everything froze for a moment. He felt his mother and brother tense at the mentioning of Leo. "No," breathed Piper, "No."

Chris nodded when he opened his eyes. He let the tears flow freely from his eyes, "Mom, you have to believe me."

Piper shook her head, "He would never. It's Leo. He's an Elder!"

Chris turned his head towards his brother, "Wy, please."

"Chris, how could you accuse Dad of...of abusing you?" Wyatt growled, furious.

Chris clenched his eyes, "Because he did!"

"Why would he do it?" Piper asked, "There's no reason-"

Chris stood suddenly, "This is why I didn't want to tell you guys! I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

"How can we?" Wyatt snapped, "Why the hell would Dad beat you? It makes no sense!"

Chris took in a shuddering breath, "Goodbye. I'm sorry that my truth falls on deaf ears," he said, and after a quick glance around, orbed out of the park.

* * *

Tyler pulled up to the hotel and instantly the feeling dread filled his soul. He just knew that the meeting between Chris and his family didn't go well. Quickly, he got of the car and headed to the hotel room. Unlocking it, he saw Chris furiously packing his bag. "Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" Tyler asked.

"They didn't believe me," Chris spat.

Tyler blinked, "Didn't you know that? They have to wrap their mind around his Chris,"

"There should be no mind wrapping Tyler," Chris growled as he threw a t-shirt into the haphazardly packed bag, "They should've believed me. I'm her son! I'm his brother!"

Tyler cautiously approached the witch. "Chris, deep breaths."

"They just threw it out the window Ty! They didn't even think about it!" Chris spat, "They act as if I imagined all the damn bruises."

Tyler gently placed his hands on his friend's shoulder and guided the raging man to the bed and made him sit down. Kneeling in front of him, Tyler put his hands on Chris's knees. "Chris, deep breaths. I can hear your heart racing from here."

Chris continued to take heaving breaths. "Damn it."

Tyler tightened his grasp on Chris's knees. "In. Out." he instructed, attempting to get the witch's breath under control, "In. Out. There you go. In. Out."

Soon enough, Chris was breathing normally. The man groaned and leaned forward so he could rest his head on his hands; his elbows on his knees. Tyler smiled and maneuvered to sit on the bed. He threw an arm around his tired friend's shoulder and made the man lean against him.

"Did you visit your family," Chris mumbled as he rested his head on Tyler's shoulder, his eyes easing shut.

Tyler smiled as he smoothed back Chris's bangs from his forehead, the skin slightly sweaty from the recent panic attack. "Yeah. They say hi,"

Chris smiled; a soft chuckle leaving his lips, "Hope they're having fun in the afterlife,"

Tyler nodded as he continued to smooth back Chris's hair. Glancing down, he saw his friend's hands twitching. Tyler frowned, Chris was still agitated. Gently, Tyler gathered his friend's right hand and interlaced the fingers – their matching sliver rings clinking together almost silently.

"Calm down Chris before you have another one," Tyler murmured quietly.

Chris sighed, "I'm trying. I just...can't."

"You can try again," Tyler whispered, "At the funeral."

Chris shook his head, "I really can't show my face now. I just can't."

"There are other ways,"

"How?"

Tyler smiled as he continued to comfort the distressed man, "We'll figure that out later. Right now, you need to calm your heart down. Focus on your breathing."

Chris yawned, "I'm more focused on not falling asleep on your shoulder."

Tyler chuckled before guided the man to lay on the bed, "It wouldn't be the first time,"

"I was seven," Chris rebuked, "and we were in the car. I didn't exactly have a lot of choice where my head goes when I'm asleep."

"I meant when we were poor and we had no money," Tyler replied softly as he maneuvered the two of them so they could lay comfortably, "Those Youth Hostels were horrible."

Chris nodded, "And those damn hotels where the other bed was filled with questionable fluids. God, I don't miss those days," the twenty year old yawned again, "There's no point in us staying here any longer. Might as well leave tomorrow or the next day,"

"We'll talk about it after we take a nap,"

Chris chuckled, "You have your own bed to take a nap in mister,"

"But, it's all the way over there," whined Tyler, "are you going to make me get up and walk over there and get comfortable again."

"Ty, we're not doing this again," Chris sighed.

Tyler smiled softly as he continued to push his hand through the black strands, "I didn't say we were Chris. Just go to sleep."

"I should kick you out."

"But you won't."

Chris smirked, "Its just because I don't have the strength to."

Tyler chuckled, "Sure, lets go with that."

* * *

Piper looked at herself in the mirror. Today was the day that she would bid Derek goodbye for good. She wore a knee length black skirt and a black blouse. A small amount of lace decorated the cuffs of her sleeves and collar. Diamond earrings that Leo gave to her on their fifteenth wedding anniversary sparkled in the sunlight that came from her bedroom window. She glanced at the closed bathroom door behind her, the sound of the shower coming from behind it. Leo. Her eyes grew troubled as she continued to gaze in the mirror. Could the comforting man that has held her heart for so long really beat her youngest son into running away? But why would Chris lie about something like that? She knew that she held Leo close to her heart, and that Wyatt and Leo were close. Chris would never form those lies out of thin air. But why did her heart and soul scream at her to believe her child while her mind refuse to believe it?

"Mom?"

Blinking, Piper came back to reality. Walking out of her bedroom, she headed to he son's. "Yeah?"

Wyatt held a plain envelope in his fingers. "This just appeared."

Piper raised an eyebrow as she eased the door shut, "Is it from-"

The blond man nodded, "it appeared in orbs, only one person I know could do that, well, besides Aunt Paige,but why would she send me a letter?"

"Did you open it yet?"

Wyatt shook his head, "I thought you should."

Piper took the envelope from her son's hand and gently opened it. Slowly, she unfolded a handwritten letter written on notebook paper.

_Mom and Wyatt,_

_I know you probably don't want to hear from me, but I thought I should try to plea my case one last time. I know you refused to believe that Leo, your husband mom, and your perfect father Wyatt, would come into my room at night and beat me. He abused me Mom. I know in your heart you know I wouldn't lie about this. What I ask is why won't your mind believe me?_

_Wyatt, you're probably standing there, pissed beyond belief. I don't blame you. I hate that I had to do this. To ruin the image that Leo had portrayed to you. I hate that I'm taking your father away from you. But, do you honestly believe that I would leave my family for a stupid reason like to be famous?_

_I had no want to be famous. I had to do it out of need. Yes, now, I love it. It's fun. It's exciting. I get to do what I loved doing everyday, and I work hard to keep Pariah on top. However, when I ran away when I was sixteen, I didn't assume that I would make my living by music. I just had to get out. I knew that I had to get out of that house before I was killed by my own father's hand._

_On that night Mom, he stepped over a line that I never thought he would cross over._

_He used his Electrokensis on me._

_I never felt pain like that before. It was as if he was burning me alive from the inside out. I screamed, and pleaded that he would stop. I wished that one of you would come in and stop this torture. Finally, he stopped and stomped out. I laid there for a few hours until I could finally move without pain. I walked over to the bathroom, saw my face, and left. I couldn't take it anymore. I refused to be beaten anymore._

_Mom. I love you. Wyatt, I love you too. And I know deep down you know I'm speaking the truth. You know I wouldn't make these kind of lies up. Please believe me._

_In these five years, I've missed you two so much. I missed everyone. But I knew that if I came back I would only bring chaos. So, I stayed away. I lived my life while you lived yours. And...I will continue to live mine._

_By time you read this, I'm already on the road to L.A and in two short days I will be leaving for the U.K. When I land in London and settle for the night, I'll give you a call. If you don't wish to speak to me anymore, don't answer, and you'll never hear from me again. Until then._

_Much love._

_Christopher Halliwell_

_Or, Damon Payne._

* * *

- _Two Days Later-_

Click. "Mom?"

Sniffle. "Is it true?"

Sigh. "...Yes."

Sob.

"Mom?"

"Consider him gone."

Heavy exhale. "Not yet."


	8. Cruor

Piper sniffled as she lowered the cordless phone from her ear. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. How could she have missed it? How could she not tell that her son was being abused by her husband for thirteen years? How could she fail as a mother? With a loud frustrated yell, she threw the phone at the wall. Black plastic exploded in to small pieces on contact. Her breathing became ragged at her heart raced. How could she not notice it? How could no one notice it? Were they that oblivious? There had to be some signs.

She stood from her bed and began to pace. Her son was always a normal child. Laughing with his brother and cousins. He played soccer until he was sixteen. Briefly she wondered if he still played when he had free time. She shook her head. She was suppose to be looking for signs. Her pacing speed quickened. He was in orchestra. He loved the guitar and the one-on-one time he had with his Uncle Henry. He played the violin in the school orchestra. Her son was always talented, there was no denying it. He was intelligent. Although, he didn't have the popularity that Wyatt had while in high school, he had friends. She remembered Tyler. Chris and Tyler were friends since diapers although they didn't really play with each until Kindergarten.

Piper growled. There had to be something that she missed. How did Chris hide it so well? She paused. Why did he hide it? The strange notion that Leo would hurt them or kill him just made her shiver. Could her husband, who spoke nothing but caring words to her, say something so malicious to her son? Her darling baby boy? What else did he say to him? Her eyes widened. Did Chris believe anything that Leo said to him? She groaned. These many questions gave her a headache. Slowly, Piper lowered herself back onto the bed. And now, her son wanted her to wait. How was she suppose to live in the same house as her son's abuser? How did he expect her to look at Leo and not blow him up? Two days, she told herself, she only had to hold off two days. Then Chris would orb from Europe and explain everything to the rest of the family and then she would never have to see the asshole again. Fury burned in chocolate brown eyes. Leo would pay for ever hurting her Peanut.

* * *

He was silent. His gaze never wavered from the white ceiling of his bedroom, the icy blue irises dull as a myriad of thoughts ran rampant within his mind. His brother – the one he swore to always protect – was getting abused right under his nose. How could he permit that? Wyatt took a deep breath and tried to keep his short temper at bay. Slowly, Wyatt stood up and walked to the room across of his – Chris's bedroom. It was never touched after Chris left. It was case he ever decided to come back home. His room would be just as he left it.

Wyatt eased the door open and looked around the room. Posters still hung on the wall. A few were of famous soccer players and others were of big bands of their youth. Wyatt slowly closed the door once he entered his brother's bedroom. Chris's bed was still made with the same sheets that were on it the day he left. They were dark blue – the same color as his bedroom walls. His brother's desk still had papers all over it. Wyatt snorted softly. His brother never could comprehend organization of papers.

The Twice-Blessed witch trudged his way over to his brother's bed and lowered himself on to it. Before this place was like a sanctuary – a shrine to remember who his brother was. Now, he couldn't help but picture his brother being beaten to a pulp by his own father. A chocked sob came from Wyatt's throat. How could he allow this to happen? He was the eldest of the newest generation and he had an unwritten vow to protect everyone younger than him. That vow held the strongest value to his baby brother. And he failed at it.

Wyatt's head bowed as he let a few tears slip out of his clenched lids. He was a failure as an older brother. How could he not tell his brother was being abused? How could he allow his brother to grow up like that? Chris was his best friend, his confidant and he couldn't even tell that Chris was harboring bruises and wounds beneath hardly healed skin. Wyatt looked at the dull hardwood floor. Was blood ever spilled?

Wyatt gulped as that thought processed through his mind. Was his baby brother ever beaten so badly that blood pooled beneath his battered body?

Softly, Wyatt whispered.

_Horrors of past transgressions,_

_Show me my kin's confessions,_

Slowly, Wyatt eased his eyes opens and instantly he knew he was no longer in 2025. His brother's wall only held the soccer posters and his desk was filled with small textbooks that he vaguely remembered having in seventh grade. So, his brother was thirteen Wyatt quickly figured out. Glancing around, he gasped when he realized he was sitting on his brother's sleeping body. Wyatt shot up, fearful that he was crushing his brother's body. Realizing that wasn't a solid being within the memory, Wyatt looked at his brother's younger form. It was before Chris's growth spurt so the brunette was still a bit under five feet tall. The thirteen year old was toned with an undertow of muscle but thin as a twig. Wyatt rolled his eyes when he realized that his brother was still that way even at the age of twenty.

Wyatt gasped when he heard the door open. The blond gulped when he saw his father standing in the doorway. Leo walked into the dark room with a sneer on his face. Wyatt watched as his father closed the door and promptly locked it. The ex-elder muttered under his breath and then the room lit up with a bright blue flash; it quickly dulling back to the dark before. Wyatt watched in mute horror as Leo marched over to his brother's bed and just stared at Chris. Wyatt placed a hand on his chest and hoped that his heart would stop hammering against his chest.

In a fluid movement, Leo grabbed the top of Chris's hair and pulled him out of bed. Wyatt winced when he heard his brother's body hit the hard floor. His brother's eyes were wide open as he looked at Leo. "No, please," he heard Chris whimper as he tried to get away from his father.

Leo growled as he pushed up the red sleeves of his bathrobe. "You...idiot. How could you do that to your brother,"

Wyatt blinked. What did Chris do? He couldn't remember anything big happening between him and his brother besides the usual squabbles that the two had from time to time.

"I didn't mean to," Chris whispered as the thirteen year old boy huddled within a corner, "I didn't know they would give it to me,"

Leo sneered as he pulled Chris up by his collar, the boy wincing at the gray cotton fibers rubbed uncomfortably against the back of his neck. "You knew it was Wyatt's dream to get that scholarship, but yet, you didn't even give Wyatt a chance."

Wyatt blinked. Scholarship?

"I'm sorry,"

Leo snorted in disgust before he threw Chris across the room; the boy sliding until he hit the wall. "How could you do that to Wyatt. You know you are the mistake Christopher."

Chris mumbled something under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head. Wyatt frowned. Was this all about the small five hundred dollar soccer scholarship that he and Chris competed in when they were younger. Wyatt knew that Chris would win. The younger boy was always better than Wyatt was in soccer, while Chris couldn't throw or catch a football in his life.

"What did you say?" Leo hissed as he began to trek over to the fallen boy.

"Nothing," Chris spat as he stood.

Wyatt's eyes widened when he heard the loud smack of his father's backhand. The hit was so hard it made Chris tumbled to the ground holding his right cheek. "You said something,"

"I said nothing," Chris snapped.

A kick to his brother's abdomen was next. "I'm your father, speak to me with respect."

Wyatt began to gnaw on his lower lip as he watch his father kick his brother's ribs and stomach. By the end of it, his little brother had curled up into the fetus position, clutching his stomach as he gasped for breath. Wyatt watched as Leo knelt next to Chris's face. "You are a mistake," Leo spat, "An unwanted child. A hindrance to the Twice-Blessed witch." Wyatt growled at Leo's words and at Leo's actions as the elder blond pulled his son up by the hair, "Wyatt was the wanted one. If I had a choice, I would've aborted you. You are nothing but a disgrace on the Halliwell name and don't have the honor to bear my father's name. It sicken me that Piper named you that." Wyatt grew more agitated when Leo began to curl his fingers into a fist, "You will be the downfall for Wyatt because Wyatt will be killed because you are weak." Wyatt's heart broke when he heard his brother whimper, his shaking hands reaching up to grasp Leo's wrist, "You almost killed your mother when she gave birth to you, and you are the reason that we lost our daughter, a child we wanted," Leo hissed as he punched Chris in the face, the boy yelping in pain as his nose broke, "You're the reason we can't have any more children who have the right to call themselves Halliwell witches," Leo slammed Chris's head onto the wall, "You are nothing but a devil spawn, unworthy to live," Leo threw his brother aside and stood.

Wyatt choked back tears as he saw his brother broken and bleeding on his bedroom floor and his father just staring at him as if he was dirt. "If you tell anyone," Leo said, "I will kill you and my anger for you will move onto others. You wouldn't want that?"

Chris wheezed as he tried to regain breath. "Answer me boy!" Leo exclaimed as he kicked Chris in the back.

"Yes! I understand!" Chris cried.

Leo grunted before he left his bleeding son on his bedroom floor. Wyatt couldn't help it. He knelt beside his wounded brother. He went to brush his hand through the shaggy mop that was Chris's hair but his hand went right through his brother's head. Wyatt swore under his breath. A few minutes after Leo left, Chris finally had the strength or the bravery to stand. Wyatt watched with solemn eyes as Chris forced himself to stay upright on shaky limbs. The brunette trudged over to his bed and hissed as he sat down. He clutched as his waist; a few tears leaking out and tumbling down his cheek. Wyatt himself was nearly crying at his brother. How could someone stand this for thirteen years? "God, Chris," Wyatt whispered, "Why? Why didn't you just tell us?"

Chris broke down and sobbed quietly. Wyatt wanted to do nothing but comfort his brother but knew it would be pointless. His heart broke as Chris shed his t-shirt. Already, Wyatt could spot red spots that would darken to be bruises. Chris traced his ribs, touching each one lightly. He's checking to see if they're broken, Wyatt realized. Once his self-exam was done, Chris exhaled and crawled back into bed. He bundled himself tightly in his dark blue quilt and willed himself to sleep. Wyatt frowned as his brother's breathing slowly eased into slumber. "Good night baby brother," Wyatt whispered as he felt himself being tugged away from the memory.

* * *

Chris lay in his bunk wide awake. Even though it was three o'clock in the morning UK time, and he just got done with doing his first concert of the tour and the first after-party about an hour ago, his body still buzzed with energy. With a sigh, he turned to look at the velvet curtain that closed off his bunk from the rest of the tourbus. Beneath him, Tyler was sleeping, his almost silent snore the only sound beside the soft rumble of the engine running as the driver drove them to Manchester. Chris frowned as he closed his eyes. He had to get some sleep. He had an interview in a few hours. Abate it was a phone interview so it wasn't like he had to get dressed or put on makeup or anything, but he had to  _sound_ awake. Groaning softly, he turned so he laid on his back again. His eyes stared at the cherrywood ceiling that was only a few feet from his nose. Another heavy sigh left his lips when he felt his pillow vibrate. Fishing under the thin padding, Chris pulled his Blackberry from underneath. He rose an eyebrow at the number. Quickly, he pressed talk and whispered a greeting.

"Chris?"

"Yeah Wy?" Chris mumbled as he turned on his side.

"Uh...sorry if this is late and all."

"Wy, what's up?" Chris sighed. His brother was rambling and his tone was shaky, something wasn't right, "Is Aaron alright? Mom? Anyone else?"

"Everyone is fine," Wyatt quickly said, "I just..."

"What is it Wyatt? What's a matter?" Chris asked, his heart beginning to race.

"How...How could Dad do that to you?" Wyatt muttered.

Chris blinked, "Wy?"

"I saw...you were thirteen. The beating about the scholarship...how?"

Chris narrowed his eyes. Worried about his bandmates, Chris retreated from the sleeping area and headed to the living area. Sliding into the booth that encircled the dining room, Chris asked to explain what was going on.

"How could someone do that to their child? It just...unhuman. Its not right," Wyatt rambled.

"What did you do Wyatt?" Chris asked.

Wyatt sighed, "I went into your room, and I..."

"What did you do Wyatt," growled Chris.

 _"_ I cast a spell that let me see a memory," Wyatt whispered, "God, Chris, how?"

Chris moaned, "Why? Why did you do that! You...had no right Wy."

"I had to see it Chris," Wyatt replied, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I didn't Wy," snapped Chris, "And that's that. Which one did you see?"

"The one after the scholarship, you were thirteen."

Chris let out a sigh of relief. He didn't see one of the worse ones. "Wy, why do you trouble yourself over something so stupid?"

"Stupid?" Chris winced at the volume of his brother's voice, "My little brother being beaten by my father isn't something stupid. Its the farthest thing from stupid Chris!"

Chris sighed, "Wyatt, its in the past. That is where it will stay. I've moved past it. Its done and over with."

"It's not done and over with until he's gone,"

"Yes, Mom and I already have that worked out," Chris replied before he broke into a large yawn, "I'll be there in a few days. I will tell the rest of the family and then we'll deal with Leo."

"Chris, if I see him, I won't be able to keep my temper in check," Wyatt hissed.

"Then don't see him," Chris bit out, "I will not allow my family to get hurt because of something that happened in my past. You will wait two days."

"Chris you can't believe-"

"You will do it Wyatt," Chris growled before he sighed, "Please Wyatt," he begged, "For me?"

He heard his older brother exhale deeply, "Two days?"

"Yes,"

"I'll try,"

Chris chuckled softly, a small smile stretching upon his lips, "That's all I"m asking Wy. Thank you."

"I'm sorry Chris,"

"What do you have to be sorry for Wy? You've done nothing wrong," Chris said; slightly confused.

"I...should've noticed or something,"

"If this is going to be some guilt thing about you not being a good big brother, stop it," Chris lightly snapped, "You were a great brother Wy. You were always there for me. Hell, you were the first one I told about being Bisexual. You didn't just kick me aside when you hit the teen years like all my other friends' brothers' did. Wy, you were there, and that all I wanted."

"If I was there so much, then why the hell did I notice you being abused?"

"Stop doing this to yourself Wy," Chris groaned, "You're not guilty. The only one who is guilty is Leo and that is it. Plain and simple. I'm guilty of being a dumbass and not telling anyone. You are guilty of nothing. You are innocent. Get that through your thick skull."

"Chris-"

"I am not going to sit here and listen to yourself incriminate yourself!" Chris exclaimed, "You did nothing! Now, if you excuse me, I"m going to bed. I'll see you in a few days." He said before he hung up on his brother. Chris sneered as he threw his phone onto the table. The twenty year old rubbed his eyes warily. His energy was used up. He snorted slightly. He had Wyatt to thank for him being able to fall asleep. "Thanks bro," muttered Chris as he made his way back to his bunk.

* * *

Chris's eyebrows knitted together when he felt a small breeze hit his cheek. Was that coffee? His eyes flashed opened and instantly narrowed at the man who was straddling his waist. "Tyler..." he growled.

Tyler grinned, "He's awake Sky!"

"Thanks Ty!" Chris heard his girlfriend yelled back.

"Tyler get off of me!" Chris yelled as he tried to push the redhead off of him, "You're heavy, lardass."

Tyler pouted, "Hey, you know I'm sensitive about my weight."

"So not going to work Ty. Get off!" Chris growled.

A soft chuckle made Chris turned his head and glare at Skylar, the woman's natural hazel eyes sparkling with mirth. "Is this when we get to have our fantasy threesome?"

Chris moaned and smacked his forehead, "Next tour, I'm getting a bus for myself!" he vowed.

Leaning, Skylar pecked Chris's cheek, "Sure you are dear. Now, get your ass out of bed, we have work to do lazybones,"

"I would if Mr. Lardass would get off of me!"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Fine, if I must,"

"Yes, you must," snapped Chris, "Jesus, ever heard of Jenny Craig?"

Tyler sniffled as he looked at his friend, "You are so mean. How could you be so heartless," he wailed, "You know I am sensitive about my delicate weight!"

Chris raised an eyebrow as he jumped out of bed, "Ty...that's not going to fool me."

"Heartless I say! Heartless!" Tyler continued to sob.

Chris shook his head and gently patted his friend's shoulder. "Ty,"

"God, Chris, you're so mean," Skylar said, shaking her head.

Chris looked at her with disbelief, "You know he's acting Sky! God, don't make me the bad guy!"

"Look at him Chris. Maybe he's right, you are heartless." Skylar answered before walking back into the living area.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Thanks Ty, now you got my girlfriend pissed at me,"

Tyler chuckled, a large grin on his face, "Hehe, I win."

"You win nothing," Chris replied, "Nothing at all."

"That's what you think," Tyler sang.

Chris exhaled as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ty, you have three seconds to get out of here so I can get dressed."

"Oo, Chris stripping,"

"Tyler leave,"

"So, what was with the midnight convo with your brother last night?"

Chris looked at his best friend, the usual silliness that came with the redhead vanished from the man's hazel eyes, a serious protective gleam entering them. "Nothing major Ty,"

"Uh, I heard you last night dude. That was something major,"

Chris shook his head, "Wyatt was just being stupid,"

"No, you were being stupid," Tyler remarked.

"What?"

"We should've postponed the tour dude," Tyler told Chris, "You can't just...drop that bombshell on your family and just leave again. Your mother is probably a mess, your brother we know is a mess and better yet! They have to live with your abuser for two more days! Oh happy days for them!"

"Ty, I'm not in the mood-"

"I don't care if you're in the mood or not Chris," snapped Tyler, "You have to realize your mistake. Right now, your mother and brother are living in a house with a big secret on their shoulders and they can't tell anyone. They can't kick out the person that they're probably wanting to kill right now. That's not really fair to them,"

"I know its not Ty, but its out of their safety."

"Chris, Wyatt could take your father in his sleep and you know that." chided Tyler.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "This is my problem-"

"It wasn't your lone problem anymore when you told them. When you told them, it became their problem too."

"Tyler-"

"Are you two done back there? Breakfast is ready! Chris you have an interview in forty-five minutes so get your ass up here and eat!" Skylar exclaimed from the kitchen.

Tyler sighed, "Just think about it Chris."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Already thought about Ty. Already thought about."


	9. Lacrima

Leaning against the black metal of the parked bus, Chris attempted to see through the thick English clouds and to the bright stars that lay behind them. His arms were crossed over his chest, his long sleeve black shirt doing little to keep the chill out of his body. A thin layer of goosebumps decorated the ivory skin, but Chris didn't care. He enjoyed the discomfort. He was always sort of a masochist.

He exhaled heavily. Maybe that was the reason why he stayed in the manor for so long. Perhaps in some sick, twisted way, he like being beaten up practically every night.

Chris quickly shook his head. That wasn't right and he knew it. Sure, he's enough of a masochist to get a few tattoos and a piercing or two, but not enough to slit his wrists or stay in an environment that made his skin black and blue. He ran a hand through his long hair, his sage green eyes looking at the slick pavement of the lot they were in. In a few hours, he had to take the stage and do a concert, then he would return to the bus and fall into his bunk and pass out. Already he felt the wariness that came from touring setting into his bones. He couldn't figure out how people did this for ten or twenty years. He could hardly get through their first headlining tour!

Glancing at his watch, Chris saw that it was only seven thirty in the evening, which meant that it was eleven thirty in the morning back home. His brother was at school teaching a bunch of high schoolers the wonders of the English language, and his eldest cousin – Samantha- would be sitting in a lecture hall at UCLA. His twin cousins were only juniors in high school, which Chris didn't envy them for. He loved that he didn't have to stay the whole four years of his life in his high school. While his brother was the prize football player that women lined up to date, Chris was always the outcast. He had a tight clique of friends that he didn't travel far without. Being in orchestra and chorus at least let him meet people like him. Plus drama club and acting was always interesting, especially when he worked behind the scenes. Many of his fondest memories was working on building sets for plays and musicals in the night. He always seemed to end up coming home covered in various colored paint.

However, throughout his years of being tormented by football players and striving to stay on top of the grade ranking of his year, Chris only had one friend that stayed by his side : Tyler. The man was a bit crazy to say the least, but he always seemed to keep Chris grounded when his mind began to wander off or become overloaded with too many emotions. Chris's other friends seemed to wander off after a while since Chris was more introvert than normal kids, but Tyler seemed to keep himself wormed between Chris's shields and heart.

Then Chris ran away. He thought he left his whole life behind and while it crushed Chris knowing that he had no link to his past life, he knew it was necessary. But to his astonishment, after two weeks of sitting on a corner begging for change, he came Tyler. Chris quickly hooked into his only link to his old life. While he didn't miss being beaten, he missed the comfort of his friends and family. He missed his mother's cooking. His brother's strange way of comforting him and cheering him up. His cousins – which were more like sisters in his heart and mind – always bugging him and making him sing or play his guitar for them when they were bored. But, he knew he couldn't have those things back because that meant being in the same house as his father. However, he had a friend and that was more than he thought he was going to have in L.A. So, quickly, Tyler became Chris's crutch to get through life.

While on their first opening tour, the chemistry began to change between the two men. Tyler – a bisexual who leaned more towards males, and Chris who experimented more than being an actual bisexual found themselves in the same bed, nude after a small party. They quickly realized that they had stepped over the boundary that they had clearly placed once their preferences were revealed to each other and had no idea what to do. Thus began a stage of awkwardness.

The two began to avoid each other touches, which was strange since Tyler was a hugger and loved to hug his best friend. Soon, the other bands began to pick up on it and grew worried that Pariah was going to break up. Chris reassured everyone that everything was alright that he and Tyler were just tired and weren't use to this lifestyle yet. But, the concern of his fellow bands made Chris realize that he and Tyler had to talk about what happened. They sat at a table at a local restaurant and talked. Both didn't know what do. They didn't know if they should pursue a relationship or just go back to what they were before.

Eventually, they decided to test the waters.

The water flooded two weeks later.

With the stress of everything, the two just couldn't take the added pressure of a relationship. But, something in the relationship must have tipped Tyler off because Chris noticed that Tyler watched him more closely than usual. Then, the panic attack happened.

He and Tyler were in Chicago, looking for their new apartment to move into, when Chris caught a blond man in the corner of his eye. Suddenly, Chris felt his chest constrict and he saw Leo walking towards him, a manic look on his face. For fifteen minutes, Chris was in this other world, afraid for his life. Then, it all evaporated and concern hazel eyes looking into his. Tyler was in front of him, clutching Chris's forearms so tightly that Chris woke up with bruises the next day. Tyler asked if he was okay, but Chris couldn't hear him. It was as if he was swimming underwater and he was tired. So, he did the only thing he could think of : rest his head on Tyler's shoulder and mumble that he wanted to go home.

Apparently, Tyler didn't know what home was because in a matter of forty-eight hours, Chris found himself in a psychiatrist office and forced to tell all his secrets. Two weeks later, he was labeled as a man with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which in turn, made Tyler seem to hone into every movement he made.

He quickly made a correlation with his condition and stress. More stress equaled more panic attacks. He wasn't sure why, but when ever his stress started to hit his limit, he would fall into a panic attack. His heart raced and his breathing grew ragged and rapid. After wards, he was so tired, he could barely make it through the rest of the day.

He kept in contact with his psychiatrist via phone during the tours with Tyler as his personal emotional bodyguard. Tyler always seem to know when Chris was at his bursting point and usher him back to the bus and somehow make his stress level fall and calm him down.

Then came Skylar. A freelance drummer that Chris at first kept as far from his heart as possible. He only talked to the girl when he absolutely had to. A tentative friendship however began to form as the two began to tour with each other and learn each other kirks. It didn't help either that she and Tyler formed a quick friendship. Then came the music video for The Kill. One of the highlights of the video was a kissing scene between Chris and Skylar. Apparently, some sparks flew because he found himself with a girlfriend within the same week.

He took her out on a few small dates to some restaurants but it proved to be hard to do while on the road. Six months into the relationship, Chris sat down Skylar and told her of his past. She was horrified. She was close to her single-parent father and couldn't imagine how a parent could abuse their own kid. Another bond formed between the two with the revelation of this secret.

However, Chris couldn't seem to commit himself to this relationship for some illogical reason. He couldn't even say that he loved the drummer. He was fond of her, but to say he loved her was ludicrous. His uncle was completely right. There didn't seem to be any love between the two. Some days, it seemed that they were in a relationship just to be in a relationship. The drummer didn't even know of his heritage, or of Tyler's for that fact. And being a witch made up a majority of who Chris was. He was proud of his Wiccan past, hence why he had his family's symbol – the Triquenta – tattooed onto the back of his right shoulder blade. Tyler had his family's symbol, a Quaternary symbol on his left shoulder blade.

Their shared heritage was one reason why he and Tyler melded the way they did. They understood what flowed in each others blood and how it affect their lives. Of course, there were difference between the blood as well. Chris was half-Elder. Tyler was his polar opposite, he was one-fourth demon. The demonic blood however had darker holds on Tyler's soul since it could be traced back to that of a Source. Tyler's father was the grandson of one.

Skylar was just a mortal. Sure, she had a Celtic knot tattooed on her body, which made Chris think she had magical ties. When he asked about it, Skylar responded that she thought that it looked interesting and that she had no idea what it meant. Chris couldn't see how he could get together with a mortal woman.

He thought about it, and believed that it what was going to happen when he was young. Now that he was older, he couldn't understand how that was going to happen. Perhaps if he was just an everyday witch, but he was the offspring of a Charmed One and that came with its fair share of dangers even if he wasn't the Twice Blessed. Even though the Underworld was in chaos now, it didn't mean that it was going to be in chaos forever.

With a heavy sigh, Chris ran a hand through his hair once again. He lowered his hand and looked at the two appendages. They were slightly calloused from the years of playing the guitar and his fingernails were once again painted black. They were rather bland except for the sliver band that he always wore on his index finger. Both he and Tyler wore the same jewelry on their hands. At first, it was just a symbol of friendship. Now, Chris wasn't so sure. So much has happened between the two of them Chris wasn't sure if he could call Tyler just a friend, or even a best friend. Tyler has sacrificed a lot to be his friend. At times, it was as if he and Tyler were brothers, and other, it was if they were boyfriends again.

Chris shook his head. They went down that road once before and he refused to let it happen again.

He couldn't risk losing Tyler.

He wouldn't risk losing Tyler.

"Chris!"

The black haired man jumped at the shout of his name. Turning towards the door of the bus, Chris looked at Tyler with wide eyes. Tyler simply raised an eyebrow, "Show's going to start soon, better get up here so Sky can finish the last look over to make sure you look perfect."

Chris nodded and headed back into the bus. However, he stopped in the threshold when Tyler put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" the red head asked.

Chris smiled, "Yeah. I was just thinking."

Tyler looked at Chris, his hazel eyes looking over the twenty year old's lithe body before nodding once, "Alright. Let's get this makeup thing over with."

Smirking, Chris bumped his shoulder with Tyler's, "Oh you know you love the eyeliner."

"Oh yes, the pain of being poked in the eye is just so much fun," Tyler mumbled.

Chris raised an eyebrow and made Tyler stop in the living area of the bus, "Alright, spill. You're not acting like yourself."

"Yes I am," protested Tyler.

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Right. Pessimistic sarcasm is my thing, not yours. So, spill. Something is going on in that mind of yours and I want to know what is going on."

Tyler shook his head, "It's not Chris, I swear.'

"And I don't believe you."

"Chris, please."

Chris shook his head, "You wouldn't let me get away with it, why should I let you get away with it?"

"Because I"m not the one with a medical reason to stay calm," snapped Tyler.

"Alright, now I know something is wrong with you," Chris said as he steered his agitated friend to the booth, "Sit. We need to talk."

The two friends sat across from each other, Chris willing the slightly older man to break with just his eyes. The sage green eyes were slightly narrowed and concern swam within the beautiful irises. Hazel ones glanced up and a heavy sigh left Tyler's lips. "I..."

"You," Chris said, trying to get Tyler to finish his sentence.

"I...God, this sounds so stupid,"

"Tyler, will you just tell me already?"

"I had a vision of you dying, alright?" snapped Tyler, the man standing and beginning to pace. "You were older, I know that much, but it just, I'm not sure when. But, it's not like my visions are always one-hundred percent, so that means it probably won't come true."

Chris blinked as Tyler continued to ramble and pace. Tyler saw him dying? He knew that mixed in with the Source blood, Tyler had some Seers blood but this was ridiculous. Most of the time, Tyler's visions came so far into the future that usually something changed and they didn't come true. So, why was Tyler so worked up about this one?

"...I mean, I just don't get why I saw this. It doesn't make any sense."

Sighing, Chris stood and stepped in Tyler's path. "Ty, calm down."

Tyler looked at Chris with wide eyes and his breathing was shaky. "You don't understand Chris. I saw you dead."

Chris squeezed Tyler's upper arms, "I know. But, you need to calm down or you're going to end up like me."

Tyler shut his eyes, "I...I just can't stop seeing it Chris."

The Halliwell sighed and wrapped his arms around Tyler's neck, embracing the man tightly, "You know your visions don't always come true Ty, and I don't plan on dying any time soon,"

Tyler returned the hug tightly, "You don't know that Chris. You looked like you were beaten...and right now..."

"You're afraid that Leo is going to get me and kill me." Chris realized.

Tyler nodded before he rested his forehead on Chris's shoulder, "Your father is capable of doing so and you know it Chris."

"Yes, but he won't be able to," Chris told Tyler, his hand rubbing comforting circles on the bassist's back.

"How do you know?"

"I just do," Chris said, "Trust me."

Tyler exhaled heavily, "You know I do."

* * *

Her eyes stared at the off-white wall of her bedroom with apathy. She could feel the heavy arm wrapped around her waist and the soft, warm breath of his on the back of her neck. Those simple things use to bring her comfort and give her a feeling of love. Now, it was just pure disgust.

She looked at the hand that hung just a few inches from her stomach and she grimaced. That hand hit her youngest son numerous times and then came back and caressed her? She nearly vomited at that thought. Easily, she slipped out of Leo's grasp and headed towards the bathroom.

She eased the door shut so she didn't wake up the man and shakily sat on the toilet lid. Her hands were trembling so she interlaced them and took deep breaths. Piper could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. Clenching her eyes shut, the Halliwell matriarch try to will the muscle to slow down. She couldn't afford a heart attack right now.

Her head snapped up when she heard her cell phone go off in the bedroom, the factory made tone loud enough to wake up her husband.

"Hello?" the man mumbled half-asleep.

Piper's eyes widened with fear.

"Why the hell are you calling," her husband growled, suddenly awake, "You don't deserve to call. You don't deserve to live after you abandoned your family."

Piper let out a broken sob, a few tears falling from her eyes as she heard Leo's malice filled tone.

She heard Leo snort. Chris must have hung up. She heard the soft clank of her cell phone being replaced on the end table and then the rustling of the sheets as Leo got comfortable to fall back asleep. Piper waited until she heard the quiet – almost silent – snores of her husband before she ventured out of the bathroom. She quickly wrapped herself in her dark red robe and grabbed her cell phone before she exited the bedroom. On her way down the stairs, she found her son's cell number in the recent call list and called the young man back.

"Hello?"

Piper couldn't help but smile at her son's voice, "Hi Peanut."

"Mom," Chris replied, "What's up?"

Piper blinked, "You called, shouldn't I be asking you that?" she nodded at her eldest son when she entered the kitchen. Wyatt was sitting at the island eating a bowl of cereal.

She heard Chris sigh, "Yeah, Leo answered."

"I heard," Piper said, "I was in the bathroom. Peanut, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Chris quickly said back, "I was just – No, that goes over there – Sorry, in the middle of setting something up. A few of early morning interviews canceled tomorrow, so I could come over then so we can get this dealt with earlier."

"What time?"

She heard papers crumbling and a soft muttered curse that sounded that it came from Tyler. "They're in the top cabinet," Chris said, "I'll can be there around, uh, stupid time difference,"

Piper chuckled. Math was never Chris's strong point, it was the only subject that he was at par with his peers. "Around ten in the morning," Chris answered.

Piper smiled, "That should be fine, although Wyatt is going to have to get a sub for his class."

Wyatt looked up from his cereal with a confused look on his face, a blond eyebrow raised and his spoon halfway in his mouth.

"Is that a problem?"

"Nah, Wyatt could use the time off," Piper answered, "and this is more important. Alright, I'll set up something so the rest of the family comes over. Do you want Leo to be here?"

"Uh," A loud exhale was heard, "He might as well be. Kill two birds with one stone I suppose, plus that will get the big blow up out of the way as well."

"Tomorrow at ten then?"

"Yeah, hopefully the one interview won't be too long, Tyler! Stop doing that! You're shaking the whole damn bus!" Chris sighed, "I have to go,"

Piper smiled, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow Peanut. Love you."

"Love you too Mom,"

* * *

Chris glared at his best friend as he placed his Blackberry back into the pocket of his long black coat. "Why the hell were you shaking the bus?"

Tyler shrugged, "Thought it would be fun."

Resisting the urge to hit his friend's head, Chris decided that turning and heading out of the bus was a better idea even though he was just out there seconds ago. Chris found himself immersed in a fury of activity. Groupies were rushing about trying to set up for the concert that was taking place in a few hours. Even at five in the afternoon, fans already began to line up outside of the arena, desperate to catch a glimpse of the band.

A thin barrier of a chain link fence was the only thing that kept the fans and the band apart from each other. Chris could see the tail end of the line from where he stood and was wondering if any of the people could see him standing just outside of the bus. Probably not since they haven't started a riot for an autograph. Quickly, he sneaked away from being visible and ventured into the actual arena.

The large stage was in the process of being assembled. Only the small catwalk and the right wing were done, and the groupies were in the middle of building the left wing. Then they had to hang the three screens and get the instruments on the stage as well. As soon as that was done, the groupie than had to proceed to let the fans in. Then the concert would happen, and then they had to take down all their hard work. After that, it was onto the next city and the process begun once again.

Chris shook his head as he walked around the area. He couldn't understand how people could do this job. It was labor intensive and rather dull. But, they seemed to like it, so it wasn't fair of him to judge them.

Humming under his breath, Chris continued to walked around the arena and the halls within the building, looking rather content.

* * *

Straightening his black Feodra hat, a large white ribbon decorating it, Chris exhaled heavily as he made his way towards the ivory armchair that he had to sit in for the next hour and half. Then he had to go make the hardest confession to his family, all while under the glare of his father. Today wasn't going to be a good day.

Slowly, Chris sat down and got comfortable by crossing his legs at the knees, his bright white shoes standing out with his usual black ensemble. He wore his usual tight black jeans, but he also wore a taut black t-shirt with a form fitting leather jacket. His hands were covered in leather fingerless gloves. A thin white scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck, the long fabric falling until about mid-abdomen.

He had his sage green eyes surrounded by the usual decoration of eyeliner, the natural color of his eyes popping out because of it. Chris ran a hand through his black hair and frowned. He needed a new hairdo. The black was beginning to be mundane and he ran out of cuts that he could do with his hair. Perhaps another color might have to be added to the stands. He had a reputation of being strange with his clothes and hair styles, and he rather liked that title. He liked being different. It was one reason why Pariah was as popular as they were. They were pop without conforming and that made Chris prideful of his band.

"Hello,"

Chris smiled at the young blond woman in front of him. He stood so he could shake the offered hand, and the action was just polite. "Hello, how are you?"

The woman smiled, "I'm fine, and how are you?"

"Good. Damon," he said, needlessly introducing himself.

"Elizabeth, Liz for short," She replied as she settled into the chair across from him. She glanced down momentarily at the small bunch of light blue cards in her hands, her eyes reading over the questions that she had prepared for Chris.

"Alright," she gestured over at the cameraman for him to start filming, "Hello, I'm Liz Anderson, and viewers I have a special treat for you. He's young, he's hot, he's a singer and a guitar player, and did I mention he was hot?" she gushed, "Today, I have the frontman for the American rock band Pariah, Damon Payne." she turned so she faced Chris fully, a large smile was plastered on her face, "Hello Damon."

"Hello," Chris replied smoothly, "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, and I hope your travel to England has been fun,"

"it's been wonderful. Its great to see England again."

Liz smiled, her dark blue eyes sparking as she asked him the next question, "Your three albums, Lumen, Malum and Aperio, those are all Latin terms correct," getting a nod from Chris she continued, "Why Latin, why not just name them in English?"

Chris shrugged, "Well, for one, they just sound better. They don't sound as interesting if we just named them, Light, Dark and Reveal. So that was one reason, and plus, we just love mystery. Make our fans sit down and think about what our titles mean. And, Jaiden is a bit of a history freak so, he jumps at the chance of using a dead language when ever he can."

Liz chuckled slightly before she moved on, "Well, you just started your UK tour, two shows in, your third one is tonight. How have the crowds been reacting to your shows?"

"They've been responsive to say the least," Chris replied with a small snicker of laughter, "Our shows have always been, crazy to say the least. But they always take care of each other."

"Yes, your fans are unique. Very loyal to your band." comment Elizabeth.

Chris nodded, "And we're very thankful for our army of fans. We're lucky that we have a community like we do following us and promoting us so much that we don't even have to use normal advertising. We arrive to a town and the job is already done. Our workers are very thankful for that, gives them one less thing to do in their already hectic life." he smiled, "Our army is the only reason why we are where we are, hovering at the top of the music mountain, its apex just in reach. And for that, we'll always be thankful."

Liz nodded, "So, Aperio's been out for a few months, new CD forming yet?"

Chris chuckled and tapped his temple, "Slowly it is forming. First, we need to give Aperio the publicity it needs. Music videos and the such."

"Oh, music videos," gushed the woman, "Single?"

Chris shrugged, a smug smirk on his face, "Still in the process being chosen. Soon though. Very soon we'll begin filming a video for a single."

Liz smiled, "Okay, I have to ask. Personal reasons? You had a lot of people worried about the UK tour."

"Yes, a my Godfather died in a car accident suddenly and my Godbrother was in the hospital. I had to return home and do my family duties."

The woman winced, "My condolences."

"Thank you,"

"Now, there is a little rumor floating around and I being a curious person have to get the answer to it," Liz said with a large smile, "VMA's, rumor is that Pariah is playing."

"Now, curiosity killed the cat Liz," chided Chris, waving a finger at the pouting woman.

"Oh, come on. Cats have nine lives Damon!"

"Well, that because they're curious animals, they need all nine,"

Liz exhaled, "I'm not going to get the answer am I?"

Smirking Chris mimed zipping his lips and throwing the key away. "Confidential. Sorry,"

The woman let out a large huff and crossed her arms over her white cami, while Chris smiled. This was going to be an interesting interview.

* * *

Chris scowled at the familiar green door as if it was the door's fault that he had to be here today and fess up to the trauma of his childhood. His aunts' cars were in the drive way which meant his whole family has assembled and they were in the manor.

The singer crossed his arms and tapped his foot. His mind was telling that he should just knock on the door and get this over with, but his heart was racing and he was sure that his palms were sweating. Luckily he still wore his sleeveless gloves so that wasn't much of an issue.

With a deep exhale – a futile attempt to calm his stressed heart – Chris raised his hand and knocked on the door three times. Not a second later, his brother stood with a wide smile on his face. Chris frowned, "You knew I was standing there the whole time,"

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "No," The older brother chuckled at his younger brother's heated glare, "Okay, yes I did. But it was interesting watching you and wondering when you were going to knock on the door."

Chris continued to glare at his older brother as he stepped through the threshold and was instantly engulfed in a tight hug from his mother. Piper rubbed his back as Chris took a few deep breaths in the comfort and safety of his mother's arms. "Hi Peanut,"

"Hi Mom," he replied softly as his mother slowly withdrew herself from his arms, but kept her hands on his shoulders. A thin brown eyebrow rose in question.

"What?" Chris asked with a hesitant small smile.

Piper shook her head, "You look strange with eyeliner, that's all. And...are those piercings?"

Reaching up, he grabbed his right ear lobe and felt the two stubs of his earrings, "Uh..yeah. Long story."

"How many mister?" Piper asked, her foot tapping.

"Uh," quickly tabling up, he answered, "five, three in my right ear and two in my left...I think."

"You think? How are you not sure about the amount of piercings?" Piper inquired.

"Whoa, what is this about piercings?"

Chris chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his youngest aunt, "Hi Aunt Paige,"

"Hi sweetheart," Paige greeted, before pulling away, "Now, piercings, did my little nephew get some holes in his body?"

"Only five..." Chris replied with an eye roll.

"He thinks," snorted Piper.

Paige blinked, "How are you not sure?"

"Not sure about what?"

"Piercings," quipped Paige as Phoebe walked up and hugged her nephew.

"Do I want to know," Phoebe asked, a scared expression on her face.

Chris sighed, "I have five piercings, and Mom is freaking out because I'm not one-hundred percent sure my lip piercing closed up, although I'm pretty sure it has."

"You had a lip piercing," Phoebe asked as she held back a chuckle.

"Yeah...long story, very long story. Longer than my ear piercing one."

"A story that I hope we'll hear one day," Piper said with a hopeful gleam in her chocolate brown eyes.

Chris smiled, "Most likely."

"Chris!"

Chris gasped when two bodies collided with his, "Hi brats." he said as he leaned down to hug the twin girls.

Melinda frowned as she leaned back from Chris's waist, "We're not brats,"

"Yeah!" Payton quickly confirmed, "You're the brat!"

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Am I now?"

Melinda nodded, "Yeah! You're so mean,"

Chris mocked sniffled, "Oh, and here I thought I was going to buy another tour bus, and bring you along on my next tour, but if I'm such a brat,"

The twin's eyes grew wide and they quickly wrapped themselves around their cousin's legs, "We're sorry!"

"No, the damage is already done," Chris clenched his eyes shut, "I understand."

"Oh God, Chris is being a drama queen, can I come back and return later?"

Chris stuck his tongue out at his eldest cousin, "Quiet Sammy, last time I checked, you were the one who is majoring in drama missy."

Samantha chuckled as she leaned over the clingy twins to hug her cousin. "So, are we going to get this talk over with or not,"

Chris sighed, "Way to kill the good sense of happiness Sam,"

Samantha shrugged, "Well some of us have to return to college."

Chris waved towards the living room, "Shall we?"

The family nodded, and after detaching the twins from Chris's legs, headed towards the living room. Chris quickly greeted his uncles and shared a glance with his father before he moved to his spot – leaning against the door frame that separated the foyer and the living room. Chris crossed his arms and sighed. He had no idea where to start.

"Why do I feel like this isn't a good thing," Chris heard Paige mumble.

"Because it isn't," Chris answered. Slowly, Chris took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. Throwing his hat onto a close table, Chris began to pace the small distance in between the two frame posts. "The reason I ran away five years ago boils down to one thing," Chris started, pinching the bridge of his nose as his stress began to rise, "the fear grew to great and I couldn't stand being someone's punching bag anymore. The idea of being afraid of sleeping, of being alone was getting so traumatic that," Chris shook his head, "For thirteen years, I had to endure the punches, kicks, hateful words of a person that I thought would protect me just because I was his family." A snort, "Apparently I was wrong because my father hated me so much, he decided that I was better of belittled and dead than being loved and comforted."

A loud gasp was heard once Chris finished the sentence.

"Chris," Pheobe whispered before her gaze snapped to Leo, who was now standing.

"You lier! I never laid a hand on you!" snapped the part-time Elder.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "Do you really think I would run away from my family for something as stupid as becoming famous? I dealt with your hatred for thirteen fucking years! I'm sorry if I got sick and tired of waking up with bruises!"

"Chris," A soft whisper came from the couch to his right, making Chris's head snap to the soft hazel eyes of his Uncle Henry, "Chris..."

Wincing, Chris looked at his uncle, the man slowly standing, "You...Why does this..." the man stumbled.

_Memories once erased,_

_Return to owner with haste_

Everyone watched as four little white balls circled around Henry's head before they were adsorbed into his body. Henry twitched as memories flashed into his mind. Chris and him sitting on a boat. His eyes looking at the sixteen year old's collarbone as the shirt dipped down as Chris tried to wangle in a fish. Henry confronting Chris about them. Chris collapsing into his arms in tears. The burning fury that he felt at his brother-in-law for doing that to such an innocent child. A boy who would do anything for his family and only got hatred back from his father.

Whirling around, Henry narrowed his hazel eyes and glared at Leo, "How could you," he hissed, "Why would you,"

"Uncle Henry," Chris said, reaching out and grasping Henry's shoulder, "Just...sit down, please."

"How do you expect me to do that," spat Henry, "Why the hell did you take those memories from me! I could've saved you! We could've dealt with this!"

Chris winced, "Trust me when I say if I could change my actions I would. But, I must deal the consequences now, but I don't want you to suffer because of my choices, so please. Sit."

"You believed him," Leo said, snorting lightly, "He was looking from attention, he always wanted to be in the limelight."

"I think I would've gotten the leading role in the school play instead Leo," drawled Chris, "Not make everyone believe that I was getting the shit beat out of me by my own father!"

Leo crossed his arms, "I don't see why anyone would believe you. You're nothing but a damn fairy. Look at you, with makeup."

"Do you think I wanted to do this?" Chris growled, his sage eyes flashing with anger, "I did what I had to do to survive."

"And what's not stopping you now," Leo snapped, "The moment you came back, you could've stayed, but yet. You abandoned your family once again and go on this tour!"

Chris took a deep breath, and replied calmly, "Is it wrong that I now love what I do? That I enjoy my job? How is it any different than Wy being a teacher or Mom being a nightclub owner?"

"They're always home at night, and they can come home when we need them to be." Leo said, "They inhere to their heritage and understand its limitation."

Chris narrowed his eyes, "You have got to be kidding me. So, you're saying that because I do what I do, that I'm no longer a Wiccan?"

"You're no longer a Halliwell."

"Oh, I bet those words bring back memories for you Leo," Chris hissed, "They sure do for me. What else am I? Why don't you tell the whole family the words you use to whisper into my ear after you finished breaking my damn ribs and leaving me in a pool of blood on my bedroom floor."

Leo growled, "Watch your tone with me. I'm still your father."

"You lost the right to call yourself my father the moment you laid a fist on me," Chris barked back, "You're nothing but a sperm donor in my book."

Wyatt stood up and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Chris,"

"No," Chris said, smacking his brother's hand away, "I'm done. He will never own up to what he did."

"It doesn't matter if he does." Wyatt replied softly, placing his hand back on Chris's shoulder, "I've seen it and Mom believes it." Wyatt's icy blue eyes locked with his father's green ones, "He's gone and will never return."

Leo growled and raised a fist. Wyatt's eyes widened as he saw his father's hand coming towards his face. He closed his eyes, awaiting for the pain.

"Don't you dare,"

Wyatt's eyes snapped open and his eyes went crossed eyed as he tried to focus on the fist that was inches away from his nose. Turning his eyes, Wyatt's eyes widened as he saw his brother's narrowed and honed in on his father's fist. "Don't you dare harm another person in this family," Chris hissed.

Wyatt's watched as his younger brother narrowed his eyes further and Leo's fist began to shakily move back. "You abused me for thirteen years," Chris growled as he took a step forward, "Shouldn't that been enough to get rid of your anger Leo? But, no, you want to continue you're idiotic ways. I allowed thirteen years of my life to be stained with those nights, but I refuse you transfer them on to another person. I refuse to let you abuse another member of this family. I shall carry those burdens because you made me. But, you will not make another person harbor those feelings of helplessness, despair, pain and self-hatred." Chris lowered his eyes so that Leo's hand fell to his side, "I just have one question for you," Chris whispered, "Why? Why the hell did you do that to me?"

Leo glared at Chris, "I did nothing to you,"

"Right," drawled Chris, "And I imagined bruises and broken bones. That's right because I have schizophrenia and not PTSD," spat Chris, "Stupid psychiatrists, they always get those two things mixed up."

"Boy,"

Chris narrowed his eyes, "What  _Dad?_ Going to smack me again? Break my nose? That always seemed to be a favorite of yours. Oh, better yet, why don't you chuck me down the stairs again? That was always fun." Suddenly, Chris turned his back on his father, "I just don't understand what made you view me different than Wyatt. Is because I look more like Mom? That I wasn't the perfect blond haired, blue eyed son you wanted? Or was it because I made Mom unable to have anymore children? That I almost killed her when she gave birth to me?" He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why the hell did you hate me so much?"

Leo narrowed his eyes, "You aren't what I thought you would become,"

Chris's eyes snapped to Leo, "What? Do you want me to run upstairs and bleach my hair, put in some contacts so I have nice bright blue eyes? Go bulk up in muscles and become the best football player Bakers High seen?" He took a step forward, "Sorry to disappoint  _Dad_ , but that's not going to happen."

"You little brat."

Chris snorted, "You've said better Leo. What happen to your insults, did they die as you aged?"

Leo exhaled before his eyes swept over the stunned faces of his family, "You don't believe him do you?"

"Leo, it's pretty obvious who we believe," Henry growled.

"Henry, he's lying," Leo pleaded, "He's acting!"

Coop stood and placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, "I don't believe he is Leo," the cupid curled an arm around his younger nephew's shaking shoulders, "Calm down,"

"Easier said than done," wheezed Chris, "Damn it."

"Deep breaths," instructed Coop before his dark brown eyes looked at Leo, "I think it's time you leave."

"This is my house Coop," Leo stated.

"No it's not,"

Leo's eyes flashed to his wife, the woman slowly standing. Fury burned in her eyes as she came to stand beside her youngest son. She took his twitching hand into hers and rubbed her thumb over her son's hand, "Shh, Peanut, that's it, deep breaths." she said softly before her attention turned to her husband, "Your stuff is already gone. I never want to see you again. I never want to hear from you again. You will walk out that door and never touch foot in it again, and you will never speak to anyone of this family, or I swear to God, you are going to be blown to Zimbabwe!"

"You can't do that Piper," protested Leo.

Piper's eyes flashed, "You hurt my son. You hurt my son and made him run away just so he could escape what he shouldn't have gone through in the first place. Get out of my sight Leo, if you don't, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Leo opened his mouth but closed it when he saw Phoebe and Paige stand as well. He looked at his youngest son, the boy's sage green eyes were illuminated with anger, "How does it feel to know that you've torn this family apart," hissed Leo, "How does it feel to know that if you were never born, this family would be in bliss."

Chris clenched his eyes shut. "Fuck you Leo. Fuck you."

Chris flinched when he felt spit hit his face before he heard the familiar jingle of an orb. Chris released a large breath that he didn't know he was holding. Reaching up with his free hand, Chris grasped his uncle's hand, "I'm fine."

"Honey, your legs are shaking, maybe you should sit down," his mother advised before maneuvering him to do so on the couch.

Chris sighed and leaned back. "That...wasn't how I planned it to pan out."

Piper sat next to her son, while Wyatt sat on the other side of Chris. "I don't think any of us had a clear idea of how this was going to play out," Wyatt told his brother.

Chris snorted, "I thought I would be able to at least hold in my temper."

Phoebe frowned as she sat on the couch across from the three, "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but we just got this bomb dropped on us, and I kind of want some more information,"

Leaning forward, Chris rubbed his eyes. He deflated slightly when he saw the black smudges on his fingertips, "Emma isn't going to like that," he murmured before looking at his aunts, "Basically, Leo would come in at night and beat me. He would tell me some things that my stupid mind would believe and then he would come in the morning before everyone was awake and heal the visible wounds."

"and...you went through this for thirteen years," Paige whispered, horrified.

Chris nodded, "I'm not sure why I never said anything. Its something I've never been able to figure out, I just never did."

"How could we not notice?" groaned Paige, "I was a social worker, I was trained to look for signs of abuses and I miss them in my own nephew,"

"Don't blame yourself Auntie," Chris muttered, "Plus, Uncle Henry did noticed. I told him one night, and I got scared about what Leo might do to him, so I erased the memories. Two weeks later, I left."

Piper closed her eyes, "We need to make sure Leo doesn't come back,"

"The Elders won't do anything," Chris snorted.

"Why not?"

"I've tried," Chris answered his brother, "I think I was around fourteen when I summoned one and told her. She said that she couldn't do anything. I wasn't even suppose to be born so they thought it was some kind of divine karma...assholes. They probably thought I would die and then they didn't have to worry about another hybrid."

Piper gritted her teeth, "There has to be something."

Chris sighed and placed his hand on his mother's knee, "Its fine Mom. He got all that he deserves."

"Chris, he use to beat the crap out of you every night," Wyatt hissed, "I think he deserves more than being kicked out of his house."

"He lost his family, that is all that he gets," Chris said before glancing at his watch, "Shit, I need to leave."

Piper's eyes widened, "You can't perform or whatever you have to do after all of that,"

Chris smiled sadly, "I have to. Acting is part of the job Mom." Leaning, he pecked his mother's cheek, "I'll be in contact." he told her before he orbed away.

* * *

Tyler glanced up from his magazine when he heard the sound of orbs. Seeing the mass stumble, he quickly stood and aided Chris to the booth. "God,"

"What the hell happened," Tyler asked as he rushed to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

Chris smiled tiredly, "He's gone."

Tyler froze as he looked at his friend, "What?"

The Halliwell slowly nodded, the small smile on his lips, "He's gone. I don't have to worry about him snapping anymore. He's gone."

Tyler's face softened as he watched Chris lower his head on the table and let out tears of relief. Placing the bottle of water on the counter, Tyler squeezed into the booth and wrapped an arm around his friend's shaking shoulders. His gaze shifted to the roof and a smile stretched upon his lips. It was finally over. Combing his hand through Chris's hair, he continued to comfort the man. These tears were the first step of many towards healing. A healing that was long overdue.


	10. Amor

Once the tears fell dry, Chris leaned back, his head resting on the arm that was wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Subconsciously, he leaned towards the source of heat and comfort. Even though he was covered with a heavy leather jacket and resting with his personal furnace to cuddle close with, he could feel goosebumps appear on his forearms. Honestly, Chris didn't know it was because of he was cold or because of nerves.

"So, am I going to get the whole story or what?" Tyler whispered.

Chris groaned, "Ruin the good, blissful silence Ty,"

Tyler chuckled but quickly sobered, "Well?"

Chris exhaled and tried to sit up but Tyler kept him leaning on him. Chris turned his head and glared at the bassist but didn't attempt to get away again. He placed his head on Tyler's shoulders, his eyes looking at the ceiling above him, "Short story? I came, I told, he yelled, I yelled, Mom threatened, he left. The end."

"Uh...anything more than that?" Tyler inquired with an eyebrow raised.

Chris shook his head. Sighing, Tyler leaned back, "You do know that he'll be back right?"

"Yeah," Chris answered, his eyes grew solemn, "The only question is when."

"Do you think he'll attack you while on tour?" questioned Tyler.

Chris shrugged, "I don't put anything pass him,"

"We'll add security,"

"Won't help with a glamour Ty,"

Tyler's eyebrows furrowed and a small pout appeared on the bow shaped lips which made Chris chuckle. "Security won't do anything if they don't know who they are looking for, and he can orb anywhere."

"You're not safe anywhere," Tyler murmured.

"I'm only safe when he's six feet under Ty," Chris sighed.

"We could take him to court.."

"He's technically dead." Chris quickly pointed out, "Elders are going to do shit."

"There has to be  _something_ ," stressed Tyler, "Your mom got married to him right? So, there has to be some documentation for that! They wouldn't let your mom marry a dead guy!"

Chris groaned and fell forward so his forehead was resting on the table, "There's nothing Ty. The press would have a field day-"

"Fuck the press!" Tyler exclaimed, "This is about you! Not the press! Not Pariah! This is about you! You and your safety!"

"My safety is meaningless!" Yelled Chris. The singer slid out of the booth and began to pace, "I haven't been safe since I was three years old! Safety is a word that doesn't exist in my vocabulary! To be safe, I had to be paranoid! Constant anti-scrying spells, anti-sensing spells, change my appearance, change my name, change who I was! I'm sick of it! I just want to live! Be myself and not have to worry about every blond man in the crowd! I don't want to be looking over my shoulder in fear every two seconds! I don't want my children to know the man that beat the shit out of him every single night for thirteen fucking years! I just want to fucking live!"

Tyler exhaled as he withdrew himself from the booth and stop in the middle of Chris's path. Gently, he grabbed the vocalist's forearms, and looked into the raging storm of fury, fear and panic that were blowing in his friend's sage green eyes. "Deep breaths, before you go into your second panic attack of the day,"

"Second?" wheezed Chris, "How did you-"

"You cuddled," Tyler said simply, "You always cuddle or cling to me after a panic attack,"

Blinking, Chris tried to connect the two, "I don't-"

"You do,"

Chris shook his head, "Doesn't matter."

Looking at the man, Tyler noticed that Chris's skin were a few hues too pale and a thin sheen of sweat had began to appear at the man's hairline. "Let's get you in bed,"

"I'm fine Ty."

Tyler ignored his friend and pushed him into his cot on the bottom. To make sure the singer didn't leave, Tyler slid in behind him. "Ty," mumbled Chris.

"Shh, this isn't a new thing,"

"We're not in a relationship Tyler, we've been over this a million times," Chris turned so he could look at his friend in the eye, "And we're not going to do it again,"

"I'm just making sure you don't slip out of bed and try to do something," Tyler replied with a small shrug, "I didn't say anything about a relationship, although, due to that little relationship, I know that you don't know how to stay in bed. You were probably the reason your mother started to turn gray so young,"

Chris narrowed his eyes on Tyler, "There are things to do,"

"Those things can wait," Tyler answered, "And we're not done with our talk,"

"There's nothing we can do," Chris bit out, a flash of anger appearing in his half-lidded eyes.

Tyler smiled, "There has to be something. Let me deal with. You just work on...something Pariah related."

"Alright, move-"

"I meant later," Tyler growled softly, "Lay down. Sleep. You've been overworking yourself...again."

Chris held back a yawn, "Comes with the job,"

Tyler chuckled and threw an arm around Chris, "Lay here and sleep child."

"I'm four months younger than you, that does not classify me as a child,"

Tyler smiled as he watched Chris's eyes flutter shut. Leaning forward, he pecked Chris's forehead and lay his head on the pillow. The red-head knew there had to be a way to get Leo in jail or get some sort of punishment for abusing his son for thirteen years. He knew Chris had a point. The press was going to go crazy and there was a chance that their true identities could be revealed. But, Chris reunited with his family, so it shouldn't be a big deal with they came out with their real names. However, Tyler didn't care about the press. Hell, boiled down, Tyler didn't care about Pariah. All he cared about was the man in his arms.

* * *

"How could we let this happen?" Phoebe whispered, her dark brown eyes wide. She didn't even notice that her hands were shaking.

Piper closed her eyes, "He hid it well. Leo always healed the wounds after he...beat Chris." she gulped, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes, "And Chris never said anything. How were we suppose to notice?"

Samantha frowned, "For thirteen years, we noticed nothing. There had to be something,  _something_ ," she stressed.

The twins looked at each other, "Why did Uncle Leo hurt Chris?" Melinda asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't know honey," Phoebe told her daughter.

"Because he was a hindrance," Wyatt spoke softly.

Piper looked at her eldest son with horror, "Wyatt!"

The blond man quickly shook his head, "No, I didn't mean it like that." the young man exhaled heavily, "I cast a spell shortly after Chris told Mom and I. It showed me one of the beatings," Wyatt took in a shaky breath, "I don't know how someone could live with that for thirteen years."

"That could've been dangerous Wyatt," Piper scolded.

"I had to see it Mom," Wyatt replied weakly, "I just couldn't wrap my mind around. How could the same man who took me to baseball and football games turn around and beat his youngest son until he was gasping for breath?"

Reaching over, Phoebe took Wyatt's hand, "What did you see sweetie?"

Wyatt clenched his eyes shut, "It was after that stupid soccer scholarship contest both he and I joined. He won and Da- Leo was pissed. He came and pulled Chris out of the bed by his hair. He told Chris that he failed by win the scholarship. I remembered Chris being slapped or something which made him tumble to the ground, then Da-Leo resorted to kicking. He just kept kicking him, over and over. Until finally, he knelt that told Chris that he was a hindrance to me and that eventually, because of it, I would be killed for it. He told Chris that he was the reason that the baby died and that Mom couldn't have anymore children. He wished that he had Chris aborted or never conceived, that Chris was unwanted. Then he just left his own son in a pool of blood." Wyatt shook his head, "It was horrible."

Piper gasped, her hand on her heart, "My baby,"

"Thirteen years," Paige said slowly, "Thirteen years and we didn't noticed this!"

Henry sighed, "He hid it well like Piper said. The only reason I knew is because of his guitar lesson and those little one-on-one minutes we had. I noticed he flinched slightly at a certain movement, like lifting his hand suddenly. Every now and again, I catch a glimpse of a bruise or something. Problem is that I didn't really connect it until he broke down, and then he took my memory."

"He was scared," Paige told her husband.

Payton looked up at her Uncle, "Is Uncle Leo going to get in trouble?"

Henry frowned, "I don't know how he could."

"The Elders won't do anything," Piper muttered, "Because they're utter assholes!" She shouted towards the ceiling.

"What about mortal ways?" Paige asked, "I mean, he is a mortal now."

"With no birth record," Phoebe pointed out, "He died during World War One Paige."

"Not exactly," Piper replied with a small smirk, "For our wedding, I forged a birth certificate for Leo. He's in the records. It's risky, but it could be done,"

"We need evidence," Henry said.

Piper frowned, "There's nothing to show,"

"Chris would have to testify," Henry stated, "It would be his word against Leo's."

* * *

Skylar smiled sadly as she slipped into the booth, her gaze on the two men across from her. Its been three days after Chris has returned from his parent's house and they were in Northern England now. Chris was still in his pajamas, his chest bare and a pair of dark blue sweatpants. Tyler had on a black t-shirt and black sweatpants.

"What's a matter Sky?" Chris asked, heavily concerned.

The woman sighed, "I got an offer from two of my best friends. They want to form a band, but, they don't have a singer. They asked if I could do it, and I really want to do but...  
"In order to do so, you'll have to leave this band," Tyler finished with a frown.

"Yes, but guys, I hate to do this, I mean, you two are very close to me." She quickly explained, her eyes wide and her hand movements frantic.

Chris chuckled which made the drummer pause and look at vocalist. "Who are we do deny your wants and dreams Sky? You helped make our come true, it's only right that we let you go off and fulfill yours. We'll help you anyway you need to,"

Skylar blinked and smiled, "Thank you."

Chris nodded, and then frowned, "I'm guessing that means our relationship,"

"I hate to be crude Chris, but what relationship?" Skylar retorted, "The...passion died quickly. We were in a relationship to be in a relationship and you know it,"

Chris exhaled, "Yeah." He extended a hand, "Friends?"

The drummer grinned and tightly clasped the offered hand, "Family."

Chris looked at the grinning Skylar and tightened his grasp on the firm hand, "Family."

* * *

His breaths came in short gasps as he stopped hopping as the last chord rang through the arena. He could feel sweat drip from his hair line and his legs were beginning to protest his movements. However, with a large smile, Chris turned and looked at a frowning Skylar. He walked towards her, microphone in hand.

"Alright, all of you know that tonight is Skylar's last show with us," he spoke. He stretched his hand over the drum set and guided the sad girl around it. He walked down to the center of the large stage with her. "And while we're sad to see her go, we're also glad to see her go," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders while Tyler wrapped one around her waist. Chris sadly smiled as Skylar tipped her head and he could hear a few faint sobs. "We hope she achieves what she wants, but if it doesn't work out, she's always welcomed back with us outcasts," he said with a large smile, "But, we hope you don't come back Sky. Be a kickass singer with your new band."

Skylar lifted her head and smiled. She took the microphone from Chris, "Thank you Damon, Jaiden. You two are the family I needed, the push I needed. Damon, you pushed me past my limits and made me a better musician. Jaiden, even in my saddest moments, you always seem to get me to laugh until I'm crying with mirth. I love you both." She said as she pulled them into a large hug, "And, of course, I'll miss the Outcasts. You all are the best and I love you all as well. I'll miss you all."

The crowd gave a large cheer as the band continued to embrace. A few seconds later, Chris withdrew from the hug and took the microphone back. "Alright, well, we can't let Skylar leave without playing her favorite song."

Skylar smiled and walked back to the drum set. Chris nodded towards Tyler as the red-head went to pick up his bass again. Chris turned and picked up his guitar and swung the strap over his shoulder. A quick glance towards Tyler and Skylar, Chris back a bit from the microphone stand. A crescendoing note was the intro before the band began a hard guitar and bass techno duet, the soft cling of the top hat adding to the harsh notes. Chris trudged up to the microphone and sang the first words of the song, " _So I run, hide and tear myself up, Start again with a brand new name, and eyes that see into infinity,"_ The crowd erupted into loud cheers and began to bounce to the beat. Suddenly, the guitar fell out and the bass became a mere whisper as the high-pitched top hat became the new focal point in the instruments. Chris's voice became more melodic,  _"I will disappear, I told you one and I'll say it again, I want my message read clear,_ " His voice crescendo as he sang the next words, " _I 'll show you the way, the way I'm going!"_ Quickly, Chris placed his hands on the white guitar's neck and played the chorus chords, " _So I run, and hide and tear myself up, Start again with a brand new name, And eyes that see into infinity,"_ The same note at the intro plays again as Chris's hands fall from the guitar's neck.

He grasps the microphone stand and slowly walks forward, his knees bending a bit more with each step, " _I was almost there, Just a moment away from becoming unclear, ever get the feeling you're gone, I'll show you the way the way I'm going,_ " Chris rushed to get back to where he was so he could play the interlude between the second verse and chorus,  _"So I run, and hide and tear myself up, I'll start again, with a brand new name. And eyes that see into infinity,"_

An abrupt end came the band, each member hunched over. A few beats later, Chris stood up and took in a large breath before belting out,  _"So I run, start again, with a brand new name,"_ Chris sneaks in another breath before yelling the next line,  _"With a brand new name!"_

Taking a step back to take a few breaths, Chris hurried to return to sing the rest of the song, " _So I run and hide and tear myself up, I'll start again with a brand new name, and eyes that see into infinity"_

Everything goes quiet. All the lights turn off as Chris sings the last line of the song,  _"I will disappear."_

* * *

The Pariah bus that night was full of laughter, tears and memories. The band sat on the bus with Skylar in the middle of the two men. She smiled as Tyler told yet another story how Chris had humiliated himself on stage.

"...I mean how do you say the wrong town twice in the same week!" Tyler asked with a booming laugh.

Chris pouted as he crossed his arms, "I was tired. You try staying up for forty eight hours editing a video and not being a bit brain scattered."

Tyler smiled, "That's why I have you so I don't have to,"

Skylar chuckled, "I thought he was a convenient sex buddy,"

"That too,"

Chris groaned, "Sky, you betray me!"

"Nah, just telling the truth," She said as she poked the Halliwell in his side, "You need to eat more, you're skin and bones,"

"He's always been skin and bones," muttered Tyler.

"Yes Mom, I'll get on it right away," drawled Chris, "I'll eat McDonalds for the next thirty days,"

"Probably wouldn't help with all the hopping you do on stage," snorted Skylar.

"Okay, I'll come out in a wheelchair or something and not move at all,"

Skylar slapped Chris on the chest, "Stop being a smartass."

"God, must you act like my mother?" Chris bit out as he rubbed his chest.

Skylar smiled, "Someone needs to keep you two lovebirds reigned in,"

"...We're not lovebirds!"

* * *

"Alright, we need dirt, we need history, we need everything!"

Samantha looked up from her laptop and looked at her mother with confusion, "Uh, what?"

Paige sighed and glanced around the manor's living room, the area filled with the rest of the Halliwell family, "Oh, come on, like none of you are the least bit curious about Chris's life for the past five years,"

"He's in a band Paige, or did you miss that?" drawled Piper.

Paige placed her hands on her hips and glared at her eldest sister, "I mean more than that Piper. Music videos, songs, gossip, those kind of things. All we know is how the band came to be and stuff and that he' was going out with his drummer,"

Samantha sighed and closed her laptop. "Settle around children, and let me tell you what I know about Pariah, the greatest band on the face of the planet," she said dramatically.

"Over the top much?" snorted Wyatt from his seat on the couch, a red pen dancing in his hand as he continued to read his student's essays.

"Not my fault that I was the only one who embraced the musical genius that is my cousin's band," Samantha retorted, "Alright. Offically, Pariah was signed in 2020 to Virgin Records. The band consisted of Damon Payne and Jaiden Luican. In November 2020, Pariah came out with Lumen. It only had twelve songs and, honestly, it was their worse work but it was still good. Singles from that record was "Year Zero", it didn't really get anywhere. No chart ranking. Next album, May 2021, Malum. First single, Welcome To The Universe. Good song, not the best music video. It was just a bunch of small clips of live shows and life on the tour bus. They're a little wacky and funny, but besides that, it's not much. Then came the next single, and the reason why Pariah is so big now a days-"

"Sam we've heard all of this before," Wyatt groaned.

"Yeah, we want gossip," Paige said, "Come on kid, I know you know it."

Samantha sighed, "Let me finish the history and  _then_ I'll start the gossips, god."

"We already know the history though," whined Payton.

Rolling her eyes, Samantha crossed her arms, "Alright, fine. So, after their first few interviews, I want to say a few weeks after Malum was released, rumors started flying about Chris's and Tyler's relationship. They always sat close on the couch, they wear matching rings on their right index fingers and there is a rumor that they have marching tattoos on their right biceps. There were rumors about how they were gay lovers. It didn't help much when they both admitted to be Bisexuals." Samantha chuckled slightly, "So, that danced around for months. Then, The Kill was released. Within the movie, there is a small kissing scene between Skylar and Chris. Then, a week later, the come out saying that they were in a relationship. Thus began the Pariah Love Triangle rumor. Chris was screwing both Skylar and Tyler, Tyler was screwing Tyler and Chris, you get the picture. There were rumors about they were having threesomes every week, it was pretty sickening. About a few months after wards, Chris got a small, a  _small_ part in a TV movie. It wasn't even credited it was so damn small. Then rumor started flying that Chris was leaving Pariah to become an actor and Chris had to come out and state that he did the movie for a friend of his and that he had no plans of leaving Pariah. You could tell that he was annoyed in the interview. Hm, what else," Samantha tapped her chin as she thought, "To this day, there's rumors of Chris and Tyler being together still and that Skylar is just a facade for Chris. This is only get worse now that Skylar left."

"Everything is about sex," Paige muttered.

Wyatt snorted, "Most of Hollywood gossip is Aunt Paige."

"There was one rumor that said that Chris got plastic surgery," Samantha chuckled, "That was fun to watch Chris deny. Showing pictures and telling them that they were photoshopped that he has had no work done on his face. Finally, he ended up sueing the person that published the pictures. That was interesting."

"Samantha, the walking encyclopedia of Pariah," muttered Wyatt.

"Well, its a good thing considering Chris is the frontman for that band," retorted Sam.

"Do you think Tyler and Chris will get together," mused Melinda.

Phoebe looked at her husband, the man wearing a small smile, "You know something,"

Coop shrugged, "I just know that they were once together,"

"How?" inquired Phoebe.

"When ex-lovers are together, they sense different," Coop tried to explain, "When Tyler and Chris walked in, I knew they were romantically involved at one point."

"Okay, trying to picture my son with another man," Piper sighed, "Kind of hard."

Wyatt laughed, "That's right. You didn't know Chris was Bi."

"No, someone failed to mention that," Piper spat, her eyes glaring at her eldest son.

"I swore I never tell anyone, plus I thought Chris would eventually come out of the closet and tell the family." explained Wyatt.

Piper narrowed her eyes, "Well apparently, he never worked up the nerve to come and tell me he also like men."

Phoebe smiled, "I think its cute,"

"You think all love is cute," snorted Paige.

The middle sister grinned, "Well, it is."

Paige rolled her eyes.

"Oh give me a break," snapped Phoebe, "I married a Cupid, it's obvious I think love it cute,"

Wyatt laughed at his Aunt, "Its alright Aunt Phoebe, no need to get defensive. It alright that you sit up late at night and weep over your new romance novel every night."

"Those novels are works of art."

"Those novels are smut."

"No one asked you Paige!"

Piper shook her head as her sisters continued to bicker back and forth. She frowned thought at the thought of her son. She needed to have a little talk with her baby.


	11. Glacies Puteulanus

Curled up on the booth, Chris idly sipped his coffee and looked at tour schedule. 89 pages of interviews, meet and greets, photo shoot and show encompassed 24 days of the tour. Chris had a good feeling that the packet was only grow in length. Just last night, two shows in Germany were added on. In three weeks, the VMA's and Pariah was scheduled to perform and they were up for 'Best Rock Video' again. 'The Kill' won last year and Chris was hoping that 'Edge of the Earth' will keep the reign going.

Sighing, Chris rubbed his tired eyes with his forefingers. Between meeting the new drummer and dealing with the press who wanted to know the real reason why Skylar left, Chris was lucky to get three hours of sleep. Glancing at the time, he frowned when he realized he still had a few hours before the first interview for the day. He knew he should treasure these relaxful minutes but he was so use to getting up and being on the run that sitting on the booth for an hour was proving to be rather stressful.

Hearing a soft groan, Chris's lips twitched upward. Tyler was awake. Chris flipped a page and scanned tomorrow's schedule. He wouldn't be able to relax tomorrow morning. He was booked from six in the morning until show time with only a thirty minute window for lunch. Chris glanced up from the packet when he heard the slider open up.

"Mornin'" yawned Tyler as he shut the slider, "How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours," answered Chris, his attention back on the schedule.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Did you get any sleep. I heard your cell go off a lot."

"I got enough," Chris replied, "Don't forget to take your potion,"

Nodding, Tyler opened a cabinet. It was filled with a rainbow of vials. Grabbing a blue one, Tyler shut it, "Did you take yours,"

Chris nodded as Tyler took his in one gulp. The red head grimaced and shook his head slightly. "Next time, can you try to make them taste better,"

Chris chuckled under his breath, "I'll keep that in mind. There might be a bit off coffee left it you want to wash out the taste,"

"Wow, Christopher Halliwell actually sharing his coffee, you must be in a good mood,"

Chris rolled his eyes before settling his attention back to the schedule. A few seconds later, he felt Tyler slip into the booth behind him. "Why are you looking at the schedule?" Tyler asked, his chin resting on Chris's bare shoulder.

"Trying to plan something," muttered Chris, "and you need to shave,"

"And what are you trying to plan?" inquired Tyler.

Chris smirked, "Well, I thought Aperio needed a music video"

Tyler's eyebrows rose, "Really? What song?"

"A Beautiful Lie," Chris answered, "I think we'll be able to fit it in before we go on tour again in the states before the festival tour,"

Tyler frowned, "You'll be editing while on tour,"

"Don't exactly have any other time to do it,"

"You nearly killed yourself the last time with sleep deprivation Chris!" Tyler softly exclaimed.

Chris shrugged and flipped a page, "hmm, we have three days off for the VMA's."

"Yes, that nice. What about you sleeping during editing? Am I going to drag you to bed like I did last time?"

"I didn't ask you to do it the last time," mumbled Chris.

Tyler snorted, "you wouldn't have slept any other way,"

Again Chris shrugged lazily, "I'll be fine Ty, don't worry about it,"

"I'll always worry about you,"

Chris exhaled heavily, "Tyler"

The red head shook his head and slid out of the booth, "I'm going to take a shower,"

Groaning, Chris rested his head on the table. This was the last thing he needed right now. He was on tour, his abuser was God knows where, Christmas was coming up in two weeks, and in March he would also like to start filming 'A Beautiful Lie', and on top of all of that, he had his family to worry about. The last thing he wanted was his best friend lusting after him.

Sitting up, Chris ran a hand through his hair. He thought he made it clear to Tyler that he didn't want a relationship again. Apparently not. He thought Tyler knew that Chris didn't want to risk their current relationship for a possible failing intimate one.

Chris clenched his eyes shut. Tyler was the only reason he was still sane. For five years, Tyler was the only one that could be himself. Even now, with the addition of a new drummer, they had to use their stage names while in the drummer's presence. Their Wiccan items were hidden, their potions were 'prescribed vitamins', and their family symbols were just cool symbols that they saw in the tattoo pallor.

A mask was firmly set on his face, attitude and life. With Tyler, they both could release the mask and it was refreshing knowing that they didn't have to check every word they said or every action they did. Being in the limelight was more tiring than it seemed. To Chris, being famous was just one big stressor that cursed a person to an early grave.

* * *

Leaning against the slick wall of the shower, Tyler closed his eyes. He resisted the urge to slam his hand through the tile. He couldn't believe he did that. He was suppose to be cool and not seem like Tyler still had feelings for the Halliwell that was sitting in the booth. The relationship ended a long time ago.

Tyler stood back from the wall and with his eyes closed he let the stream of water cascade down his toned body. His mind was telling his heart that Chris's and his relationship ended four and half years ago, but his heart kept telling him that Chris was the one was destined to be with. He hated the damn muscle.

Chris just got out of a relationship, not a serious one, but a relationship nonetheless. Out of respect, Tyler should be restraining himself more properly. Groaning, Tyler smacked his forehead on the shower wall. He screwed up.

He just hoped he could watch his behavior and hopefully, he could once again call Chris his boyfriend.

* * *

Tyler frowned as he opened the bus door with his hip. Not even in town for thirty minutes and Chris sends him out for groceries. It didn't help that they had an interview to go to in an hour. Setting the plastic bags on the table, Tyler looked around the sitting area, looking for the frontman. He heard the soft snores coming from the new drummer, meaning the guy was still passed out. It didn't matter, the guy was just there to take Skylar's spot in the concerts not to do interviews and photo shoots. That fell to just him and Chris now.

Hearing a thud in the bathroom in the back of the bus, Tyler rolled his eyes at the loud cuss word that left the Halliwell's mouth. Turning his attention back to the bus, the bassist started to put the groceries away.

"About time,"

Turning, Tyler's hand went slack and the canned green beans fell to the ground. "New hair style?"

Lifting the trimmed strands, Chris smirked, "Decided that just black was boring."

Tyler blinked as he held a few pieces of hair in his fingers, "blue?" He mused as he looked at the bright blue tips, "At least you kept the majority of it black," he said with a shrug.

Chris chuckled, "What? Do you think its too much?"

Still holding Chris's hair, he looked at the ice blue tips and laughed softly, "Nah. It needed a change. How much did you cut off?"

"A few inches, just to have it at mid-neck," answered Chris.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps one day, it will be brown again?"

Sighing, Chris lowered his head, "Maybe. I don't know. I'm so use to it being black."

"You know, technically, we don't have to wear eye liner anymore," Tyler said, his fingers still playing with the few stands of hair he still had, "Or dye our hair random colors. We could go back to the two normal looking brunettes again. You can get your hair cut back to that shaggy style you always had and I can have my short hair."

"Could we?" retorted Chris, "We've been this way for five years Ty. We can't just go from extreme goths to normal looking twenty year olds."

"Steps then," Tyler suggested, "And I'm twenty-one,"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Right. I'm sorry Mr. Twenty-one,"

"You'll be twenty-one in a few weeks. Which reminds me, what do you want to do for your twenty-first?"

"Pass out in my cot?"

Tyler frowned and gently tugged on Chris's hair, "Something fun."

"I don't know, I mean, I don't really want to go out drinking or anything." mumbled Chris.

Tyler smiled sadly, "I figured that much. Plus, your family probably would want you home, for both Christmas and your birthday,"

Chris nodded, "I don't know. We have a show the next night so its not like we can do it much,"

"Old time movie night?"

Shrugging, Chris replied, "Sure, why not? Haven't had one in a few months."

"That is if your Mom doesn't ask for you to come,"

"I could say no,"

Tyler narrowed his eyes slightly and tugged on the hair again, making Chris wince, "No. You go. She'll probably just have a small party in P3 or something."

Chris lightly sneered, "If that happens, you are coming with."

"Dark area, loud music, a bunch of people, alcohol to lower said people's inhibitions, mark me as going." Tyler answered with a grin and a loud chuckle.

Chris groaned, "I'm putting you on a leash."

"Ooh, even better."

"Tyler,"

"...Sorry,"

* * *

Setting down his fork, Chris quickly picked up his Blackberry and held it up to his phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Peanut,"

"Who is it?" whispered Tyler, who was seated across from him in the small restaurant.

"My mom," Chris answered, "Hey Mom, what's up?"

"Oh nothing," Piper replied. The high pitched drawled out words made Chris raised an eyebrow, his fork filled with salad freezing half way to his mouth.

"What is it?" Chris sighed, "You want to talk about something,"

"Wyatt just told the family something, and I just wanted to...talk to you about it."

"What? Did he get a girl pregnant or something?"

He heard Piper choke on something, a few coughs came from the other end of the phone, "No, Chris. Your brother didn't get a girl pregnant."

"Oh," muttered Chris as he popped a bite of salad into his mouth, "What is it then? I don't have a lot of time Mom. I have an interview to go to in fifteen minutes."

"You're Bi."

Chris blinked, "What?"

"You're bi. You like women and men. You're both straight and gay"

"Mom, I know what Bisexual means," Chris said, shaking his head slightly before glaring at the chuckling Tyler, "I thought you knew."

"No!" Piper exclaimed, "I mean- its not like I care, but it would've been nice to know that my son didn't mind sleeping with men before he brought home his boyfriend."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Mom, I have secret to tell you. I'm bi. Just thought you would like to know."

Chris heard his mother sigh, "Funny Chris."

"What? I just had my big coming out moment and you just throw it to the side."

"Oh and what's this about you and Tyler having a fling?"

Chris choke on his salad, "How did you know about that?"

"A mother has her ways Chris," Piper replied, and Chris could just see the smirk that was on his mother's face.

"Yes, Tyler and I did have a relationship at one point," Chris answered tensely, "which is something that isn't going to happen again."

"Oh,"

The shock in his mother's voice made Chris raise an eyebrow. Standing, Chris waved to Tyler, letting him know that they had to get going. "Oh? What is that suppose to mean?"

"I just thought..." his mother trailed off.

Chris tossed the rental car's keys to Tyler and slid into the passenger seat, "We're going to Elvion Street," he told Tyler, the man quickly pressing the street into the GPS system. Turning his attention back to the phone in his hand, he requested that his mother finish the sentence that she began.

"Oh, honey, if you can't talk, we can just talk later," Piper said sweetly.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "Not going to work Mom. What were you going to say?"

"Nothing,"

"Bull,"

"What are you doing for your birthday honey?"

"You're not going to change the topic Mom," Chris yelled, "What were you going to say?"

"Answer my question."

"I asked mine first," retorted Chris.

"I'm your mother, you listen to me," Piper replied.

Chris sighed, "I don't know yet."

"Why don't you come here and we can go to P3 or something." Piper suggested.

Chris looked at the smirking Tyler and glared. "You knew," He hissed.

Tyler chuckled, "Maybe."

"You are an asshole."

"What?" Tyler inquired, "We're going to P3, no harm. Perhaps you'll actually loosen up a bit."

Continuing to glare at his best friend, Chris answered his mother, "Yeah, Ty and I will be there, I have to go though. I have a photo shoot to do. Talk to you later Mom. Love you."

Hanging up, Chris reached over and hit Tyler on the head. "You and your damn seers blood. I hate when you do that."

Tyler chuckled as he stepped out of the small car, "What? I withheld harmless information, nothing major."

Chris shook his head and started up the small flight of stairs towards the small building. "Let's just get this photo shoot over with."

* * *

Two weeks later, Pariah found themselves in the cold country of Ireland. Snow covered the Irish soil and no matter how many layers Chris wrapped around himself, he couldn't keep the deep chill from his bones. In a matter of a few hours it would be December 25, Christmas Day, which meant that in as little as twenty-eight hours, he would be twenty-one. For some reason, Tyler thought that is was some magical age that needed to celebrated and now Chris had the added stress of getting a surprise from the red-head on his birthday. He just hoped it was something crazy like that skydiving trip he got for his eighteenth birthday.

Wrapped in a blanket, Chris looked at the table full of presents. He knew that back home, it was only five in the morning, but he figured he should send his family's presents to them before they wake up. With a wave of his hand, Chris watched with a small smile as the presents dissolved into an array of light blue and white lights and floated upward.

With the same smile plastered on his lips, Chris turned and headed towards his cot. He had the morning off tomorrow and he intended to use to get rid of the black bags underneath his eyes.

* * *

Piper sat next to the large Christmas tree, an abundance of presents practically falling out of the pine. To her right, her son sat in the arm chair while the twins sat in front of him on the floor. Samantha was leaning on the arm of the chair, her arms crossed. On the couch across from Piper were her sisters and their husbands.

Picking up a large box, she looked at the tag. "This one is to Payton, From...Chris?" She blinked at the tag.

"Yay!" The young girl exclaimed and grabbed the box from her aunt and tore into it. Opening the box, her smile only grew. The first thing that came from the box was a pure white box with a silver apple decorating the cardboard. Opening it, Payton squealed when the brand new Ipod slid out of it. Placing that to the side, she dug deeper into the box. She pulled out six different colored earphones and three cases for her new Ipod. Next was a smaller box. It was made of black velvet, but was too large for a ring. Opening it, her eyes grew wide. "Mommy?"

Standing, Phoebe made her way towards her daughter. She gasped when she took the box from Payton's hands. "Those can't be real." she murmured as she lifted a thin necklace, a Triquenta hung from the sliver chain, the symbol decorated with small diamonds. In the center, Payton's birthstone – a ruby – hung.

Waving her hand, Piper got her sister to hand Payton's necklace to her. "This is...beautiful." She whispered looking at the jewelry.

"Is there anything else in the box?" Samantha asked.

Payton dug around and found a small envelope. Opening it, she unfolded it to reveal a letter. "Read it out loud Pay," Melinda exclaimed, a large smile on her lips.

"Dear Payton, or Brat number one." She read, "Hope you enjoy your Ipod, and all the accessories I got for you. And, I know Aunt Phoebe is going to ask, yes the stones on the necklace are real diamonds and a ruby. I had it made it while I was in Italy a few months back, I thought Christmas would be a good time to finally give it to you. Also, on your bed, you'll find a special gift from me. My old violin. I remember when you were younger you wanted to learn how to play it and since I have a new one, I thought I should give it to you. Enjoy your presents brat. Merry Christmas, Chris."

Payton smiled and looked at her mother, "Can I learn?"

Phoebe nodded and ran a hand through her daughter's long brown hair, "Of course sweetheart."

"Melinda, here's yours." Piper said, handing a large box to Phoebe's other daughter.

Melinda dug into her box with vigor. The first thing she saw was the Ipod and the accessories, which she had assumed she would get when she saw her sister get one. Next was the velvet box. Easing it open, she smiled. Chris remembered that she hated having the same thing as her twin. Holding up the silver chain, she turned it to show her mother, and show that her Triquenta was decorated with small rubies with a large diamond hanging from the middle. The direct opposite from her twin's. Digging deeper, she found an envelope and tore it open. "Dear Mellie or Brat number two," she began, "Enjoy your Ipod, and don't break it like you broke mine when I was thirteen. Also, those headphones I got for you are not to be use a choking devices. I might have been gone for five years Mel, but I still know you." Melinda stopped and chuckled at her cousin, "And I know Aunt Phoebe is going to ask, yes, those are real rubies and a real diamond. Now, I know you would be pissed if I gave everything the exact same as your twin – if Payton hasn't opened her present yet, you'll see there are some differences – so if you're still the soccer girl I know, you'll enjoy the soccer ball that I got autographed by the Barcelona team while I was in Spain a few years back. And next time I'm in Spain, I'll bring you along so you can meet them. Although, you should maybe pick up some words of Spanish, so there's a Spanish dictionary on your bed as well. Enjoy your gifts Mellie. Merry Christmas, Chris."

She smiled and slid the letter back in the envelope.

Piper grinned and turned, "Alright, Samantha, you're next."

Samantha took the box from her aunt and opened it slowly. Her heart was racing as she looked through the tissue paper. The first thing she found was a velvet box. Opening it, she found the same Triquenta necklace that the twins got before her. Hers were silver as well, the symbol decorated with rainbow quartz, the normal orange one – her birthstone- hanging from the center. She smiled and set it aside and continued to dig though her box. Her eyes widened when she saw a thin box. "No," she breathed. Pulling it out, she saw a brand new laptop. She's been using her mom's old one and it was practically obsolete. She hugged it tightly to her chest before she set it aside and dug through the box again, "There's nothing else. No letter or anything."

Turning the box in her hand, she heard something rip. "Here it is,"

Samantha smiled at Wyatt and took the envelope from tore it open. She took the letter out, "Dear Sammy. Every college kid needs a laptop, so I thought I should get you one. Its the least I could do. And I know you went tearing through your box, and if we're still doing the whole youngest to oldest routine, you'll probably be disappointed that you didn't get as much as Pay or Mellie. Well, did you look in you envelope?" She blinked and picked up her envelope. There was nothing in there. She frowned and turned her attention back to the letter, "The rest of your present isn't in this envelope, its in the one on the bottom of the box," Frowning, she turned over her box and rolled her eyes at the sight of another envelope. Tearing it off, she read the last of the letter, "Now, remember cousin, no returns. Merry Christmas, Chris."

Putting her letter on the arm of the chair, she opened the second envelope. She gasped as she pulled a lanyard out, a large laminated card hung from it. In bold letters, it stated PARIAH VIP BACKSTAGE ACCESS. She smiled broadly. Why would she want to return that? Her eyes blinked as she turned her attention to the envelope. Sticking out slightly was a thin sheet of paper. Pulling it out, she gasped and her eyes filled with tears.

"Honey?" Paige started to get up from her seat and make her way towards her daughter.

Slowly, Samantha turned the paper, making everyone realize that it was a check. Paige looked at it and gasped.

"What is it?" Piper asked, her eyes wide.

Samantha looked at her aunt, "He just gave me a check to cover the rest of my tuition for college. I can't accept this."

"You heard what Chris said," Payton remarked, "No returns."

"But, this is-" Samantha stopped when she felt Wyatt's hand on her shoulder.

"Just accept it Sam," Wyatt said, "Its not like he'll take it back anyways."

Samantha chuckled, "True."

"Okay Wyatt, its your turn," Piper said, handing a small box to Wyatt.

Wyatt tore it open and blinked. There were no tissue paper in it so his present was blatantly clear. "What did you get Wy?" Melinda asked.

Slowly, Wyatt held up a set of keys, a Dodge symbol clearly seen on the largest key. Underneath the keys was an envelope. "Dear Wy," Wyatt read, "When I saw that beat up Grand Cherokee in the driveway and I saw your crap in it, I knew the perfect present for you. On Monday, take these set of keys and go down the the Dodge dealership a few blocks from the manor. There will be a '21 Dodge Avenger waiting for you, brand new and full stocked. All for you brother. Also, dig a little deeper into the envelope before continuing with this letter," Doing as he was told, Wyatt's mouth went dry at what he found, he gulped before returning to the note, "Is that enough for you to get that Masters degree you wanted when we were teenagers? I hope so. Also, there's an added six thousand dollars in there for you to publish a book Wy. Have fun with your new car. Merry Christmas, Chris."

Piper blinked in shock. "New car, Masters degree, publication, two Ipods, two diamond and ruby necklaces, a laptop and a college education...I don't think I want to open mine," She whispered.

"Well, I'm first, so you'll have to wait," Paige said with a chuckle as she took the box from Piper's hand, "To Aunt Paige and Uncle Henry," She read from the tag before opening the box, "The first thing she saw was the American Airlines logo. She handed the small folder to Henry before digging deeper into the tissue paper abyss. She felt something velvet and gasped it. Opening it, she smiled. It was the Triquenta again, but it hung from a gold chain this time and was decorated with emeralds and had a lone orange quartz hanging from the middle. Simple and elegant, her kind of style of jewelry. She plunged her hand into the box again and felt something velvet again. She took it out and realized that it was for Henry and handed it to her husband. Henry opened it and smiled at the sight of a silver watch. Its face was white and the hands were silver and decorated with a small orange quartz at its tip; the face was decorated with small emeralds "Found the letter," Paige said before beginning to read from it, "Dear Auntie and Uncle Henry. The tickets you have is to let you fly to anywhere in the world for one week. God knows how long its been since you've been on a vacation, so here's your chance. Enjoy it. I hope you like your necklace Auntie, and Uncle Henry, consider the watch as payment for destroying your last one when I was eleven. Enjoy your presents. Merry Christmas, Chris."

"Phoebe,"

Phoebe took her box and took a deep breath. Opening it slowly, she smiled when she didn't see any airline logo. Slowly she made her way through the box. First she found the velvet box that every woman got thus far. Opening it, she found the gold Triquenta that her sister got. Hers though was decorated with amethyst stones and in the middle hung two small rubies. She smiled. She got was Chris was doing. Amethyst was her favorite stone, which represented her, while the rubies represented the twins, her children. Setting the necklace aside, she searched through the box. When she found it, she grabbed the item that was intended for Coop. It was a small wooden box. When he opened it, he gasped. Inside it was a unicorn's horn. "Where did he-" Coop muttered as he held it up.

Phoebe shook her head, "God only knows. I mean, that's just amazing. You can use it in your class at Magic School."

"Or if you run into trouble and one of us isn't there," Wyatt suggested to the ex-cupid.

"I didn't even know he knew I gave up my job though," Coop said.

Wyatt shrugged, "Chris is like Mom, he knows everything."

Phoebe chuckled, "Ah, here's the letter. Dear Auntie and Uncle Coop. No, no airline tickets for you, I knew if I got them for you, you would put them somewhere and forget them. That's why I'm sending a limo to the manor on January fifth. It will take you to the airport and will fly you to the Bahamas. You can't really forget about that," Phoebe could practically hear the smirk in her nephew's words, "Hope you love the necklace and the unicorn horn. And, yes I know you quit your job Uncle Coop, it wasn't hard to notice when I saw you. You weren't wearing your ring anymore. Also, you can't avoid the limo. It will come back everyday until you finally get into it. I'm making sure you get your vacation one way or another Auntie. Marry Christmas, Chris."

Phoebe scowled, "He's too smart for his own good."

Piper chuckled and looked at the last item for her. It was a small box, smaller than all the rest. Sliding it in front of her, she only saw that it held the velvet box that all the women gotten their necklaces in and a large envelope. She picked up the necklace first and looked at it. It was gold like her sister's and was decorated with diamonds and in the center was an amethyst and a dark blue tanzanite. Piper smiled. Her babys' birthstones. Placing the box beside her, she took the envelope and opened it. Seeing a large sheet of paper, she slipped it out. Her hand began to shake as she took in the words DEED. "Mom?" Wyatt asked, sliding to the floor in case he had to help his mom.

"He got me...that boy," she said, shaking her head. Quickly she turned to her letter and began to read out loud, "Dear Mom. Yes, what you are holding is a deed for a building on Main street. Its for your dream restaurant. You've been holding out for too long. I know owning a restaurant has been your dream since I was small child. Well, I'm twenty and you haven't gotten it yet. I don't think that's really fair. You've sacrificed your dreams to raise Wyatt and I, well, its time for you to fulfill those dreams. I also wired a hundred thousand dollars to your checking account so you can get what you need for the business. Now to the rest of the family. All of these gifts I've given you, you can't return them. I have the money, don't worry about that. You can use the money for better reason then just sitting in my account for years. Also, on June 28th, you all are going on vacation. I purchased three tour buses, one for each of you. For three months, all of you will be touring on with me through Europe on the beginning of the World Tour. You will see Europe, Asia, parts of Africa and Australia. There's no school, so Wy, Sammy, Pay, Mellie, you all can come. Aunties, quit your jobs, after the tours, you won't have to work again, same goes to you Mom. All you'll have to worry about is your restaurant and P3 if you chose to keep the club. Until tomorrow. Love you all. Chris."

Piper set the letter down and just smiled. "Wy?"

"Yeah Mom."

"Remind me to smack Chris tomorrow."

"Uh, okay, why?"

Piper chuckled, "Because I can't believe he did this and didn't even grace us with his presence so I could yell at him for giving us all of this."

Wyatt laughed sadly, "Okay Mom."


	12. Amor

Groaning, Chris turned in his bunk when he heard the shower start up. He just wanted to sleep all day, but apparently Tyler had other ideas. Their new drummer – Zach – had left to spend his short Christmas vacation with his family in Detroit.

Pulling his blanket up high, Chris snuggled into his pillow and attempted to fall back asleep. This was one of his few days off and he was going to spend it sleeping!

When the much wanted sleep didn't come after five minutes, Chris exhaled and sat up in his bunk. He ran a hand through his hair attempting to settle the bi-colored strands from the wayward status.

"Oh, you're awake,"

Turning, he saw a showered Tyler – clothed in only a dark red towel wrapped around his waist – his hazel eyes large, "Didn't mean to wake you."

Chris shrugged, "Kind of hard to do when we live in a damn bus. Why are you awake?"

"Phone woke me up," Tyler answered with a shrug before he bent over to dig into the drawer beneath his bunk.

"Who calls you? Well, besides Violet I mean," Chris retorted.

"Apparently MTV when they can't reach you," muttered Tyler.

Chris blinked as he hopped out of the bunk, "MTV? Why would MTV call us?"

Tyler smirked as he stood fully, his nose inches from Chris's, "Apparently they want us to do New Years All-Nighter this year."

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "And your answer?"

"Considering we don't have a show until the third..."

"You said yes didn't you," Chris muttered.

"...Is that okay?" Tyler asked.

Chris exhaled heavily and opened eyes, "Yeah. I guess, might be fun. Where are they shooting?"

"L.A of course, so we'll have to fly over there after the show on the thirtieth."

"And then fly back either on the first or the second, seems do-able." replied Chris with a shrug, his eyes diverting from Tyler's hazel ones.

"Chris," Tyler sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, "I'm so-"

"I don't want to talk about this Tyler," Chris said sharply before he turned around, "I'm going to take a shower."

Tyler frowned when he heard Chris shut the bathroom door. Sinking to his bunk, the red-head put his head into his hands and shook it sadly. Why wouldn't Chris give him another chance? He was sure that without the stress that they had in the beginning of their career and with Chris's PTSD under control, they could thrive and be happy together. But, why couldn't Chris see that?

(*)

Lounging on the booth, Chris hummed to a song as his Ipod was on shuffle. He idly read Dante's Inferno, one of his favorite books. Next to him, his laptop was open and a half written essay for his secondary education class was on the screen. Chris knew he should be writing it, but it was due for another few months so he knew he could write it within that time between layovers in-between towns.

Tyler was in his bunk, secluded by the curtain that had been shut since Chris got out of the shower three hours ago. He knew Tyler was hurt by what he said, but it had to be said. Chris had to stand strong. There would be no imitate relationship between him and Tyler. His attention diverted from his thoughts when he heard Tyler leave his bunk and walk to the bathroom. Discreetly, he turn the volume down on his Ipod, the song becoming a mere whisper.

He heard the toilet flush and the sink running as Tyler washed his hands. Seconds later, Tyler came out of the bed. Tyler's red hair was heavily disheveled. Holding back a chuckle, Chris returned his eyes to his book; acting as if he was still reading as Tyler looked in the fridge for something. Hearing a can of soda open, Chris turned towards the red-head.

"Isn't this such an exciting Christmas?" mumbled Tyler, the man leaning on the small counter the bus had.

Taking out a ear bud, Chris snorted, "Just like the other ones we have had."

"Yeah, but still. It sucks. You're reading that damn book for the sixth time and not doing your homework, I just slept for four hours for no reason. Whoo, best Christmas ever."

"Why don't you just go visit Violet?"

"She's in Rome," Tyler answered, "Doing a study for her masters, I don't want to bother her. She called already and we did the whole Merry Christmas thing this morning,"

Chris nodded, "I'm surprised I didn't get a call from my Mom,"

"Why?"

"I sent some...expensive gifts to the manor early this morning. She's probably not too happy about the amount of money I spent."

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "How much money did you spend?"

Chris chuckled, "Out of the one point five million dollars I had in the bank, I have roughly two hundred thousand left."

Tyler blinked, "How the - "

"The surgery cost me about a million and all the gift cost about three hundred thousand."

Shaking his head, Tyler slid into the booth, "You surprise me Chris."

"What? All that money was doing was sitting in my account. It was doing nothing special with it." answered Chris, "Plus its not like I'm not going to get the money all back at the end of this damn tour. Don't worry Ty, I'll be a millionaire again soon."

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Did you get your much needed sleep last night? I was so out of it, I didn't hear if you had a nightmare or anything."

"I was fine," Chris replied with a shrug, "Only had one."

"Not too bad?"

"Nah," Chris said; his eyes back on the book, "Went right back to sleep  _Mommy_. Jeez, I'm turning twenty-one tomorrow, give me a break."

"What are we going to do with your father?" Tyler mumbled.

Groaning, Chris set down the small book on the keyboard of his laptop, "Really Ty? Must we talk about this?"

"Yes," Tyler replied calmly, "We need to do something. What if we called the Elders again?"

"They won't do anything Ty, I tried when I was fourteen."

"That was when you were fourteen, not when your twenty-one and a powerful witch. Plus, you have your family behind you now." Tyler replied, "and maybe you'll get a different Elder than the bitch one you had the last time,"

Sighing, Chris pulled his legs close and rested his forehead on his legs. "Not now Ty. He hasn't confronted me, so let's just leave it."

"He's going to pop up eventually Chris and you know it!" exclaimed Tyler as he stood.

Chris groaned and winced, "Ty-"

"No Chris! I'm sick and tired of you leaving Leo as something you can deal with on another day! You need to deal with it now!" Yelled Tyler, his hazel eyes glaring at the man who was curled up on the booth, "Before Leo comes and kills you!"

"Tyler-"

"Chris, I mean it!" Tyler hissed, "I'm not going to allow my vision to come true."

"Well, perhaps before you scream at me, you'll let me take my potion first," moaned Chris, the man's face still buried in his kneecaps.

Tyler blinked and swore under his breath, "Why didn't you take it today?"

"Because we don't have a show tonight," mumbled Chris, "Thought I could get away with it, apparently not."

"You know you're not able to handle it without it, why would you do that?" Tyler snapped.

"Because I would like to not be depended it on a potion the rest of my life," Chris answered as he lifted his head, "My empathy can be used when I'm no longer a rockstar. But, I can't use it if I keep dulling it!"

"Out of all your powers I'm sure empathy is pretty low on the uses category Chris." Tyler sighed.

"It still has its uses nonetheless," muttered Chris, wincing when his temples throbbed with pain.

Exhaling, Tyler slid in behind Chris. Using his forefingers, Tyler started rubbing Chris's temples. He felt Chris tense but a few seconds later the Halliwell relaxed. A sigh left Chris's lips. Tyler smiled when he felt Chris's bare back lean into his chest.

Continuing to rub Chris's temples, he started to hum a soft lullaby. He heard Chris mumble something but the bi-colored haired man didn't move from his spot. Soon, Tyler could hear the soft snore come from the Halliwell. Smiling, Tyler wrapped an arm around Chris and leaned back. He knew when he woke up Chris wouldn't be in his arms anymore, but he could treasure the few moments he did have with him.

That smile slowly turned into a smirk.

Soon, Chris wouldn't be able to run from his arms.

Because, Chris won't want to.

Because, Chris will be his boyfriend once again.

(*)

Chris tensed when he registered the arm that was wrapped around his chest. Easing his eyes open, Chris turned his head slightly and saw the snoozing form of Tyler. Chris clenched his eyes and tried to banish the feeling of comfort that came from being in the part-demon's arms. He tried to ignore his heart and the warmth that came from be in Tyler's arms.

Exhaling, Chris slid out of Tyler's arms and the booth. He rubbed his arms and will away the want to be wrapped in those arms again. Glancing at the clock, he frowned when he saw it was two in the morning, meaning it was nine in the morning back in San Francisco. His mother would be expecting him in two hours.

Chris turned to the shower but paused before he took a step. Leaning over, he grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the booth and covered Tyler. And before he could even recognize himself doing it, he gave a small kiss to Tyler's forehead. Standing upright, Chris's eyes grew wide and hurried to the bathroom.

(**)

Pulling into the driveway in a rental car, Chris looked at the manor with slight trepidation. "What's up?" whispered Tyler,

Chris shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking for a moment,"

"May I ask about what?" inquired Tyler with a chuckle as the two stepped out of the car.

Chris glared at the part-demon through his sunglasses, "No, you may not." Walking up towards the door, Chris froze on the second step, his eyes wide.

"What?" Tyler asked, his eyes sweeping over the area.

"My hair," Chris breathed.

"Is fine," replied Tyler.

Chris resisted the urge to smack his bassist, "No, my hair is tipped with bright freaking blue! My mom is going to flip."

"Oh come on Chris, she knows you're a rockstar. She needs to get use to this! You're known for your crazy fashion style!"

"She's known about me for a few months only, not long enough for her to get use to the idea of her son coming home with two toned hair!" hissed Chris.

Throwing an arm around Chris's shoulders, Tyler led the vocalist up to the door. "It will be fine Chris." he told him as he knocked on the forest green door.

Chris glared at the red-head and wiggled his way out of Tyler's grasp as the door opened. "Chr-"

Chuckling, Chris waved at his mother, "Hi mom,"

"Your hair."

"Yeah, about that," mumbled Chris with a small humorless chuckle.

Piper took a step forward and took her son's hair into her hand, "Its blue."

"Yeah..."

Sighing, Piper dropped Chris's hair, "I guess I should get use to it since we'll be on tour with you in a few months."

Chris smiled, "We're not that bad on the road."

Piper smirked, "You better not, oh yeah-" Narrowing her eyes, Piper smacked her son on his arm, "What the hell was with all though gifts mister!"

"What? You don't like them?"asked Chris as he rubbed his arm.

"No, we loved them," Piper replied.

"Then what's the problem?"

"How could you spend all that money!" exclaimed Piper, "I should ground you,"

Chris softly laughed, "Mom, I'm twenty-one, you can't really ground me anymore."

Raising an eyebrow, Piper looked at her son, "Oh really?"

"Have you forgotten your mother can blow people up?" whispered Tyler.

"Shut up, no one asked you," snapped Chris.

"Hey! Are you going to let the boy in or not Piper?"

Chris smiled when he saw his Aunt Paige enter the foyer from the living room, "I know you want to hog him, but we would like to see him too you know,"

Piper frowned but stood aside to let her son and Tyler in before shutting the door. Whistling lowly, Paige walked up to her youngest nephew, "Nice hair kid."

"Thanks Auntie," Chris replied as he hugged Paige, "Everyone else in the living room,"

"Yep," quipped Paige.

Chris shook his head with a smile as he followed his aunt. "And I introduce, the boy who ruined Christmas twenty-one years ago!" exclaimed Paige.

Mock glaring at his aunt, Chris replied, "Its not my fault that Mom went into labor halfway through Christmas Day,"

"Ah, but you were the one who popped out brother, so its all your fault," Wyatt said as he walked up to hug Chris, "Uh, what's with the hair?"

Chris shrugged, "Got bored with just black, needed a change."

Wyatt rolled his eyes and let the rest of the family hug and welcome the birthday boy.

Chris smiled as he walked over to the couch and leaned to hug Aaron, the boy's leg still bound in a cast, "Hey, your surgery went alright?"

Aaron nodded, "Yeah, and I wonder how its getting paid," Aaron drawled with a small glare.

"Consider it your birthday present," replied Chris, "And the invitation to go on the road with us is extended to you. You can stay with Wy and Mom."

Aaron dramatically groaned, "Oh God, the idea of seeing you on the road scares me so,"

"If you weren't crippled I would so kick your ass." Chris said with a smile.

Aaron stuck his tongue out, "Well, lets get this birthday going! Where are the presents?"

"Oh God, presents really?" moaned Chris.

"Just a small one," Piper said with a smile as she handed Chris a large beige envelope to him, "That's it."

Chris raised an eyebrow and opened the envelope. Within it was a sheet of paper. When Chris took it out, he gasped.

"There is the forged birth certificate that I made for when your father and I got married," Piper explained, "This is for you, so you know that it is possible for you to take Leo to court for abuse if you want."

"Mom,"

"No Peanut," Piper said tensely, "Think about it before you shoot it down Chris. Your father needs to be punished for what he did to you either in the mortal world or the magical one, but one way or another he will get what he deserved."

Exhaling heavily, Chris looked at the paper in his hand. "Thanks Mom,"

Piper smiled, "You're welcome Peanut."

(***)

Chris sighed as he sat down in the booth back on the tour bus. His ears were still ringing from P3 and a headache was starting to form behind his eyes. While it was nice of his Mom to take him out, he and Tyler could only stay for a thirty minutes before people started to recognize them and they quickly left before a riot for autographs took place.

Resting his head on the table, Chris groaned.

"You okay?"

Lifting his head, Chris saw Tyler standing in front of him. "Yeah, just a headache."

"From the alcohol, the music or the stress?" inquired Tyler as he slid into the booth.

Chris sighed, "I think from the present,"

"This is what you needed Chris," Tyler said, "Now you can take him to court!"

"What if I don't want to," mumbled Chris, his head resting on the table.

Tyler blinked, "Why wouldn't you? He fucking abused you for thirteen years!"

"What if I just want to leave it at that!" exclaimed Chris, "What if I don't want to stretch this out anymore! I just want it done and over with. Forgotten. Gone. Done."

Tyler sighed, "Because you need to get justice Chris."

Growling, Chris stood and walked away from Tyler, "Maybe I don't want justice Ty. Maybe I just want this to be done with. I'm sick and tired of people looking at me and seeing an abused child and not who I am today."

"Chris-" Tyler winced when Chris slammed the divider shut.

(****)

Pushing the velvet sheet aside, Tyler looked at the sleeping form of his best friend. Clad in only a pair of black sweatpants, Chris was curled up on his side. His hand was underneath his hand and his bi-colored hair was askew over the white pillow. The sheet was bunched up at the bottom of the bunk. Tyler shook his head and covered the man back up.

"Ty?"

Glancing back at the vocalist, Tyler tensely smiled, "Should I be worried about get blown up?"

Chris rolled his eyes, the lids half closed, "What do you want?"

"Still mad?" Tyler inquired.

Chris sighed, "Ty, I just want to leave it, alright? I'm done with all this abuse shit."

"We just want the best for you Chris," Tyler said softly, "And that is Leo off the streets so we know that you're safe."

"Is there a way to do so though?" Chris replied, "There isn't enough evidence to bring Leo into a mortal court, and the Elders won't do anything."

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "What about a magical court, isn't there one?"

"Maybe," answered Chris.

Smiling, Tyler gently intertwined their hand together, but he frowned when he felt Chris tense. "What?"

"Nothing Ty," Chris answered sharply.

"Why do hate this?" Tyler asked, "You never tensed when I did it before,"

Chris exhaled heavily, "Ty, I don't-"

"We have to talk about it Chris," Tyler inputted, "I'm sick and tired of this dancing around. One minute you're fine with me touching you, the next, you tense."

"Ty, I don't want a relationship right now,"

"And I understand that," Tyler replied, "I just want you to know that I'm here for you,"

"You can do that without holding my hands and kissing my forehead Ty,"

"What about the kiss you gave me in the morning?"

Tyler smirked when he saw Chris's face turn red. "Thought I was asleep?" remarked Tyler.

"Ty, not tonight, please. We have to wake up-"

"Just tell me now," Tyler said seriously, "Do I have a chance?"

Chris blinked, "A chance for what?"

"To be in a relationship with you again,"

Chris clenched his eyes shut, "I just, can't Ty."

"Why?"

"Because-"

"I'm not leaving without an answer Chris,"

"You will," Chris snapped, pulling his hand from Tyler's grasp, "I don't have to disclose everything to you,"

"I think I have a right to know why you don't want to be in a relationship with me," snapped Tyler.

"You think, but you're wrong. You get nothing," Chris growled.

Tyler looked at Chris, "Why are you so against this?"

"Because," Chris trailed off.

Resting his hand on Chris's waist, Tyler looked into Chris's eyes, "Why?"

"Tyler," Chris whispered, "Just respect my choice, can't you do that?"

Tyler shook his head, "No." Then he put his lips on to Chris's.

Tyler felt Chris tense, but held the man down with his hand on his waist. Slowly, he moved his lips against Chris's stalled ones, willing them to respond. Using his other hand, Tyler slipped it between the pillow and Chris's cheek. Lifting it slightly, Tyler began to caress Chris's skin. The redhead couldn't help but smile when he felt Chris's hands cup his face and the man's lips beginning to respond. When his lungs began to ache for air, Tyler slowly released Chris from the lip lock. He watched as Chris's eyes opened up. "Why don't you want this?" whispered Tyler.

Chris blinked and shook his head. With a grunt, Chris shoved Tyler away and closed the curtain. Tyler stood with his eyes wide. The redhead frowned but knew if he tried to open the curtain Chris would probably blast him away. Sighing, Tyler turned and crawled into his bunk, ignoring the hurt in his heart.

(*****)

Three days of awkwardness floated around the two men. The shows were strained at best. The meet and greets were horrifying. Tyler just wanted to know why Chris didn't want to be in a relationship with him. Meanwhile, Chris was trying to shove Tyler away.

The distance between the two were obvious. Rumors flew up about the band breaking up and various cheating stories.

Opening the bus door, Tyler froze when he saw Chris on the booth, the man once again reading Dante's Inferno. Slowly, Tyler approached Chris.

"What do you want?" Chris said coldly.

Tyler winced, "Can we just stop this, please?"

Peering over his book, Chris took in his friend's form. The man looked utterly depressed. His hair hung limply and in front of his hazel eyes. Black bags decorated the skin underneath the honeysuckle orbs. He wore a simple pair of black jeans and a black Metallica shirt, the usual outfit Tyler wore when he didn't want to get dressed.

Glancing down at himself, Chris judged that he didn't look much better in his black jeans and plain black t-shirt.

Chris put his book down with a sigh, "I shouldn't have kissed back Ty,"

"Why not?" snapped Tyler, "If you didn't want it, you wouldn't have kissed back,"

"It was a mistake Tyler," Chris growled as he slid out of the booth so he could stand in front of Tyler, "and I won't let it happen again,"

"What is that suppose to mean?"

Chris sighed, "I don't know. I just...can't be in a relationship with you Tyler."

"Why?"

"Does it matter Ty?"

"Yes! Give me one good answer why you can't be with me!"

Chris clenched his eyes shut, "Tyler-"

"Is it because I'm part-demon?"

"No,"

"The press? Afraid they're going to ridicule you for being gay?"

"I don't give a shit about the press and what they think of my love life Tyler," Chris hissed, "If I want to date a man, I will. I didn't care about it before and I won't start now."

"Then what the hell is it? Your family won't care, they were okay with you being Bi!"

"I can't lose you goddamn it!" yelled Chris, "There you happy? I said it!You and this band is all I have left! Its the only thing that has kept me sane in the past five years! I can't afford to lose it!"

Tyler stood, "Wha-"

Chris snorted, "There, happy. You have your reason." Chris seethed before he stepped around Tyler and left the bus, leaving a dumbstruck Tyler in his wake.

(****)

Mumbling under his breath, Chris walked around the people of Warsaw. The band was off until the third of January for the New Years holiday. But Chris knew that he would have to go back to the bus eventually. Tomorrow, he and Tyler were flying to L.A to do that New Years All-Nighter on New Years Eve.

Holding back a sob, Chris found a bench and sat down on it. He held his head in his hands.

"Hello,"

Chris's head snapped up, his heart racing. "No-"

"Hello Christopher,"

Chris stood and took a shaky step back, "How did-"

A sick taunting smirk formed on his founder's face, "Easily. You stand out so well with that hair Chris."

Chris's hands tightened into fist, "Leave me alone, just go"

"No,"

"Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone Leo," growled Chris.

Leo raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was obvious Christopher,"

Chris gulped; he could feel his hands and legs shaking.

"I'm not going to leave you alone until you're six feet under and in bits," Leo hissed, "You got me banished from my own family! How could you-" Leo frowned when he saw his son sprinting down the street, "Why run Christopher?" he whispered before he dissolve into a fury of bluish-white lights.

(*****)

Turning into an alley, Chris took a few deep breaths trying to calm his racing heart. Looking around quickly, Chris willed his body into an orb once he saw that no mortals could see them.  
"Ah, not yet there Chris,"

The Halliwell gasped when he felt his back hit the brick wall behind him, a hand around his throat. Chris's eyes were wide when he saw Leo's smirking face.

This wasn't going to end well.

(*****)

Tyler sat in the booth, his fingers drumming out a random rhythm. It was two in the morning and their flight was suppose to leave in a few hours and Chris never cut it this close. Frowning, he checked his cell phone again only to find that he missed no calls. "Damn it Chris, where are you?"

As if on queue, his phone lit up and vibrated. Picking it up, Tyler quickly greeted the person on the other side with a short "'Ello?"

"Ty?"

Tyler's eyes widened at the weak voice, "Chris?"

"Yeah," Tyler gulped when he heard the Halliwell cough, "Think you could do me a favor?"

"Chris? Where are you?"

"Wola Park," whispered Chris before the line went dead.

Swearing, Tyler clutched his phone and shimmered out of the bus. When he reformed, he nearly fell to his knees. "Chris!"

The vocalist was sitting on the ground, his back leaning against a tree. Sprinting to his friend, Tyler gasped when he saw the hilt of a knife imbedded deeply in the Halliwell's waist. "No,"

Chris smirked, "Hey,"

"God Chris, what the hell? Who the hell did this?" Tyler asked.

"Bus Ty, first please." gasped Chris.

Tyler nodded. Gently, he picked the wounded man in his arms as if Chris was a bride. Closing his eyes, Tyler shimmered.

(******)

Tyler lowered Chris onto the booth. "Can you do it?"

Chris nodded, " _What's mine is yours, What's yours is mine,_ _Let our powers cross the line, I offer up this gift to share, Switch our powers through the air._ "

Tyler gasped when he felt his power of conjuring leave him and when Chris's power of healing enter him. Opening his eyes, Tyler gently took the hilt into his hand. A brief meeting of eyes. Tyler winced when he pulled out the knife, Chris's scream of pain hurting both his ears and heart. Seconds later, Tyler had his hand over the wound, the other one tossing the knife aside. Tyler watched as the wound knitted together, a breath of relief leaving his lips. Once that wound was healed, Tyler moved his glowing hand up to Chris's face and let the bruised skin fade away.

"Anything else?"

Chris shook his head, "Thanks. _F_ _rom whence they came, Return them now, Vanish the words, Vanish our powers."_

"Who did this?" Tyler asked.

Chris snorted, "Who do you think?"

"Leo, but-"

"He found me," mumbled Chris, his eyes looking at the knife that was in the sink, "I don't know how, but-"

"Chris, if this isn't reason enough, you have to prosecute him!" exclaimed Tyler.

Chris exhaled, "I know. I will."

"You will?"

Chris nodded, "I'll start looking things up on the plane."

Tyler sighed before tightly embracing Chris, "Damn it, Chris."

Chris chuckled and hugged Tyler back, "I'm fine Ty, I'm fine."

"Yeah, now you are!" Tyler yelled, "I'm really getting sick and tired of saving your ass,"

Chris laughed, "Oh sorry, and here I thought you lusted after my ass."

Tyler smirked, "Now that Chris, is something I won't get tired of."

Relaxing in Tyler's embrace, Chris rested his head on Tyler's shoulders, "This doesn't mean we're boyfriends, just for your information,"

"I'll change your mind."

"Nope,"

"Just wait Halliwell, just wait."


	13. Una

Glancing over at Chris, Tyler watched as the man's green eyes scan the computer screen. Chris's bottom lips was being gnawed on by his top teeth as he tried to find the answer of damning his father for what he did for thirteen years and the recent murder attempt. The two band members were clad in black hoodies, their hoods hiding their unique hair color, and the majority of their faces. So far, it kept people from recognizing them on the commercial flight to L.A. Hearing a sharp exhale, Tyler inwardly winced when Chris closed another window and opened Google once again to do a search. So far, the Halliwell hasn't had much luck in finding a magical council or government to prosecute his father in. The only thing Chris could think of was the Tribunal, but he didn't want to risk the demons siding with his father. He rather go to a council filled with benevolent magical creatures.

"You know, if you keep doing that, you'll have another piercing,"

Glancing up, Chris raised an eyebrow at Tyler. The red-head was smirking, his hazel eyes looking at Chris with mirth. Chris rolled his eyes before returning to the computer, "There's nothing, I can't find shit," he told him.

"What about the Book of Shadows?" inquired Tyler, "I mean, would that have something,"

"Maybe, but I don't want my family to know about this yet," replied Chris, "They'll want to know why I had a change of heart and then I have to tell him Leo reappeared."

"And why would that be bad?"

"Because I can't really do a tour when I'm locked up in the attic within a crystal cage now can I?" Chris retorted, "There has to be a way that the magical community keeps their people inhere to their laws,"

"I still say we try with the Elders again," Tyler said with a small shrug.

"They said No the first time Ty, I doubt they'll change their minds now," Chris murmured as he clicked on another site.

"Could it have to do with that he wasn't an Elder when you and Wyatt were younger?" asked Tyler.

"Maybe, but he was becoming an Elder when I called the first Elder," replied Chris, "and it shouldn't matter that he left for a short amount of time, he should still be governed by their rules,"

"Yeah, but if he followed those rules you or Wyatt wouldn't be here,"

Chris sighed, "Yeah, true."

Tyler frowned when he saw Chris pinch the bridge of his nose and exhale slowly. Leaning over, Tyler wrapped an arm around Chris's shoulders, "Headache?"

Chris shook his head, "No, just frustrated."

Glancing at the laptop, Tyler's frown deepened, "There's a lot of...fakes out there," he murmured before he closed the computer, "Take a break for a bit,"

"I won't have time-"

"You'll have plenty of time after the All-Nighter, don't worry," Tyler whispered, "We'll sit on the computer, and I'll try to help you."

Chris sighed and nodded, then he leaned against Tyler, which shocked the bassist. Tyler blinked before a worried gleam entered his honeysuckle eyes. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on Chris's forehead. "You okay?"

"Just a bit tired," mumbled Chris, the man's eyes closed.

Tyler sighed when he didn't feel a fever, but that didn't mean Chris felt perfect either. Tightening his grasp on the other's shoulder, Tyler brought Chris closer to his side and leaned his forehead on top of Chris's head. "Sleep," he whispered, "I'll wake you up when we're about to land."

He felt Chris nod slightly before his breathing even out, a soft snore coming from the man's lips.

* * *

"Ah, home away from home!" exclaimed Tyler, his arms outstretched as he looked at the small apartment that he and Chris had for when they had to return to L.A.

Chris chuckled as he shut the door behind him, "We're only here for three days Ty, don't get use to it."

Tyler frowned, "Way to kill the happy mood,"

Chris rolled his eyes and threw his small bag onto the black couch in their living room. A matching armchair sat beside it, a small end table between the two seats. An entertainment center with a television and a DVD player sat across from it. Behind the living room was the dining room with a small table and two chairs. Next to it was a large desk with papers thrown around on the dark wood top. To the left of the dining room, and through a opening in a wall, was a small kitchen. There was barely enough room for two people to fit in it between the stove and the refrigerator.

"I'm going to put the bags in the bedroom," Chris told Tyler, the man already digging in the fridge for something to drink. Chris hoped that Tyler realized that there was no food left in the fridge.

Walking into the lone bedroom, Chris threw his bag next to his small bed, and Tyler's next to his. Within the dark room, there were two twin beds, and each man had their own dresser. Across the hall was the bathroom. Overall, the apartment was tiny for two rich rock stars, but this was their first apartment they got together and Chris was being childish and didn't want to sell it. So, they kept it for when they had to return to L.A for business, and kept their main home in Lake Forest, a small suburb by Chicago.

"Hey, we need to get some food, you do realize that right?" Tyler asked when he entered the bedroom.

Chris rolled his eyes, "We can just do take-out and stuff,"

"But, I want some home-cooked meals," whined Tyler.

Turning, Chris looked at the bassist with an eyebrow raised, his arms crossed. "And who has to cook this food?"

"You of course," answered Tyler with a smile.

Chris sighed and shook his head, "When we get back to the bus, we'll go and get some hamburger and noodles, and I'll make you some spaghetti, deal?"

"Must I wait?" Tyler asked with a pout.

Chris snorted, "Well, considering you can't cook, yes."

"Fine," Tyler said with a dramatic sigh, "If I must,"

Rolling his eyes, Chris grabbed Tyler's wrist and pulled him out of the bedroom, "Come on, we have to go meet up with MTV so they can show us where we'll be tomorrow,"

* * *

Raising an eyebrow, Chris looked at the small room that he would be in for the All-Nighter. A black cloth was his backdrop and in front of it was a small white couch where he and Tyler would sit. An end table sat on either end to which Chris assumed glasses of water would be sitting for them.

"It will be rather simple," Ava, the director of the All-Nighter told them as she stood beside them, "You'll just sit on the couch, show some music videos, answer some questions, you know, easy stuff,"

"And where are these questions coming from?" asked Tyler.

"From MTV and your fans," answered Ava, her light green eyes sparkling with excitement, "At midnight, you of course will exclaim to the world Happy New Year and after a few minutes, we'll probably go to commercial, then you two can go to the bathroom and such and then, we'll return and finish the last nine hours."

"Are there going to be any breaks afterward?" Chris inquired as he sat on the couch.

"Of course, we can't keep you cooped up for nine hours without bathroom breaks Mr. Payne." chuckled Ava, "We're not that mean,"

Chris rolled his eyes. Just what he needed, a girl who was lusting after him. He already had Tyler. Holding back from smacking himself, he sent a small smile to the young woman and stood. "Well, we'll be back tomorrow about eight then," he said.

"Yes, that would be fine," Ava replied, "We'll see you then Mr. Payne, Mr. Luicen."

Sighing, the two left the MTV studio and walked down the L.A street with their heads bowed. "Lunch?" Tyler asked.

Chris shrugged, "I guess, where do you want to go?"

"McDonalds? Salads?"

Chris chuckled, "And here I thought I would have a nice first date,"

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Finally committing yourself to a relationship with little 'ole me?"

"No, we're still not boyfriends Ty," Chris remarked with a smirk, "You have yet to prove that we should be a couple yet."

Throwing an arm over Chris's shoulder, Tyler smiled, "Yet my dear friend, yet."

* * *

"So, are we going to call your family or what?" mused Tyler, the man sprawled over the couch as Chris sat on the floor, the vocalist's laptop open and working on what Tyler could see five different things at once.

"No," Chris answered, "They already promised that they'll be watching the show, and we have no time to really do anything. They know we're here so it doesn't really matter."

"Are you going to ever tell them what Leo did?"

"After we figure out if there is a magical council or not," mumbled Chris, his eyes narrowing as he read over an article.

Sighing, Tyler looked at the white ceiling of the apartment, "They could probably help us Chris,"

"Yeah, but I don't want to drag them into this. This involves me, not them,"

"You and your hero complex."

Looking over his shoulder, Chris raised an eyebrow. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"You always think of others before you think of yourself," answered Tyler, "You sacrifice your well being so other can be happy."

Chris shrugged and turned his attention back to his laptop, "I just it comes with being a Halliwell."

"No, it's just you," quipped Tyler.

"Whatever," muttered Chris, "Wait..."

Leaning up slightly, Tyler peered over Chris's shoulders, "What?"

"I...might have found something," he whispered, his eyes scanning the screen desperately, "Or this could be one big hoax website,"

"What does it say?" inquired Tyler, his chin resting on Chris's bare shoulder, the two men clad in only sweatpants.

"The Sanctus Humus," read Chris, "is a council made up of one major good force of magic. They are called together for charges against good magical creatures that a lower ruling force can't govern...and that's it."

"So, this Holy Group, is a council of Elders, Elves, Witches, that kind of stuff,"

"That's what it says, but...it sounds not real. I mean, why would this be established? What can't the Elders take care of?" mused Chris.

"Big stuff maybe, like mass murdering or something?" suggested Tyler, "We can do research later, its three in the morning and we have a long night ahead of us," said the red-head, "Let's get to bed so we don't pass out on television."

Chuckling, Chris closed his laptop and stood up. "I'll check the Book of Shadows after the All-Nighter."

Tyler nodded, "What about your family?"

"You can distract them can't you?"

Sighing, Tyler ran a hand through his hair, "I just say we try summoning the Elders again. I mean, they might have something else to say now that your family knows. They probably don't want the wrath of the Halliwell family breathing down their necks."

Chris crossed his arms and looked at his best friend, "They didn't do anything for me when I was fourteen, what do you think is going to change?"

"Its worth a try Chris, I mean, your father is an Elder now. He wasn't a full-timer when you were fourteen."

"Fine, we'll summon an Elder, after the All-Nighter."

Smiling, Tyler embraced his friend, "We'll get this figured out Chris, trust me."

Resting his forehead on Tyler's shoulder, Chris exhaled heavily, "I hope so Ty."

* * *

Piper smiled as her oldest niece turned the channel to MTV. Her whole family – save Chris of course – was nestled within the living room. Piper and her son was on the smallest couch, a large bowl of popcorn between her and Wyatt. On the floor was Samantha and the twins, all cuddled up with their blankets and in their pajamas already. Lastly, her sisters and brother-in-laws were on the other large couch.

"And next up, we have the MTV All-Nighter," said a young male, his brown hair chopped short to his pale scalp, "hosted by Pariah's very own Damon Payne and Jaiden Luicen! Thank you all for watching Top Ten tonight, and have a happy new year!"

Piper chuckled when she heard Samantha softly squeal when the ending credits finished and the screen started to change from black to the opening scene of the All-Nighter.

"Hello America," stated Tyler, a large smile on his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with mirth, "I, Jaiden Luicen is your host for tonight-"

"Hey, idiot!" The camera panned over to a narrowed eyed Chris, "What about me?"

"You? You're not important." Tyler said with a small shrug as Chris came to stand beside him.

Chris raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "Not important, alright. You can host this thing all by yourself, and I'll just sit here and watch you mess up horribly," he said with a small smile as he sank down on to the couch, "Don't stand there and look at me, do your job. America is waiting,"

Chuckling sheepishly, Tyler turned to look at the camera again. "Hello America, we, Jaiden Lucien and Damon Payne are your host tonight for MTV's All-Nighter. From nine o'clock in the evening west coast time to nine o'clock in the morning west coast time, you are stuck with us, slowly growing crazier and crazier with sleep deprivation."

"And hopefully, we'll still be both alive at the end of this program," Chris said with an eyeroll, "If not, Pariah will be holding bassist auditions-"

"You're an ass," Tyler said with a frown, "Well, anyways, ignoring Mr. Payne-In-The-Ass, here's the first music video of the night, a personal favorite of mine and Damon's, In The End by Linkin Park! Enjoy!"

The TV cut away to the music video, and Samantha began to chuckle.

"Why do I have a feeling that tonight is going to be very interesting?" she mused.

* * *

Tyler sighed as he sat down on the couch, his arm resting comfortably behind Chris on the back of the couch. "Chris, your makeup is smudged slightly," he told the bi-colored haired man.

Sighing, Chris ran a finger underneath his eyes, the place where his eye liner always seemed to become damaged. "Better?"

"Yep."

Chris frowned as he crossed his arms, "I shouldn't have probably worn the coat," he mumbled looking at his tightly bound knee length coat, "Probably going to get too hot."

"What do you have on underneath?" Tyler asked.

"White shirt with my black vest." answered Chris.

"Take it off then," Tyler answered with a shrug.

"What about yours?" Chris inquired, gesturing towards the black leather coat Tyler had on, a blood red shirt underneath it.

Tyler shrugged and took it off, "Won't do much, I have a black long sleeve shirt underneath the red one." he said.

Throwing the coats off screen, Chris settled back on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, "This wait time is boring,"

Tyler nodded, "What are we doing after this?"

"Explain the Q and A that fans can do and start with some of the MTV questions." answered Chris, "Which starts now apparently," added Chris when he saw the director start counting down.

"Welcome back," greeted Chris, "Now, to make this time more...enjoyable for our fans, and more torturous for us, MTV has allowed for our lovely little Outcast family to send in some questions. You can go to Twitter, Facebook or text in the question using the information that they should be flashing at the bottom of the screen." he said, gesturing with a arm wave.

"Please keep the questions PG-13," Tyler said with a smirk, "Well, at least until ten,  _then_  you can send in the R-rated stuff."

Resiting the urge to smack his forehead, Chris leaned and grabbed a small pile of blue cards from a random man, "Question number one, how do you and Jaiden meet?"

"In a bar!" Tyler answered with a laugh.

"Oh, I thought it was strip club," Chris said, tapping his chin.

"No, we went to that  _after_  the bar Dee, God,"

Rolling his eyes, Chris looked at the camera, "We met on a playground when we were still in diapers. Nothing fancy, and no bars of half-naked women were involved."

"Way to ruin the fun," pouted Tyler.

"Shut up and read the next question," snapped Chris, handing the cards over to the bassist.

"Alrighty, question number two, when is the next album coming out? Dee?"

"Never!" exclaimed Chris, before he quickly sobered, "Actually, I have no freaking clue. The idea of a fourth CD hasn't entered my mind, yet."

"Yet," Tyler said with a smile.

"Yes, yet. It will come out, eventually. You know unless I die or something, then, we might run into some problems."

"Just a few,"

"Okay, next question," Chris said, grabbing the cards, "Where does the name Pariah come from?"

"From being alone in a harsh world," Tyler answered, acting as if he was about to cry.

"Uh, Jai...we're not an emo band," stage whispered Chris.

"Oh, uh, how did we come up with that name?"

"Your sister, remember?" Chris replied, "We couldn't think of a name so we asked your sister and she thought of Pariah."

"Oh yeah, thanks Violet!" Tyler said with a large grin.

"Alright, next music video is All Is Full of Love by Bjork, enjoy," Chris said before the camera cut off.

* * *

"Alright, we're fifteen minutes away from midnight here in California," Tyler said, "and I hope you're enjoying your time here with us."

"They're probably annoyed with us," snorted Chris.

"Okay, here's question number twenty-four."

"I thought it was twenty-five?" interrupted Chris.

"Okay, here is A question," Tyler sighed, "Would either of you grow a beard? And that's from Lizzie in St. Louis,"

"I don't know if I would grow a beard, I think I would look screwed up if I did have one," answered Chris, "Jaiden is rather bizarre with one too, but he looks better than I do with one."

"We should grow one out and see what people say about it," suggested Tyler; a smirk dancing on his lips.

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Okay, that will take two weeks for me, and what? Six months for you?"

"Not my fault that my hair doesn't grow as fast as yours," muttered Tyler.

"Well Lizzie, we'll think about it. Perhaps you'll find a hairy Damon or Jaiden online here in a few weeks...or months," answered Chris, "And, we'll just five minutes from midnight, so we can fit in one last question. Do either of you wish that you weren't famous and that's from Christina in New Jersey."

"Being famous has its pro and cons," Tyler said with a small shrug.

Chris nodded, "You're always in the limelight, being judged and you don't have much privacy. But, you can use your fame to benefit people, you meet cool people and you get to do some fun stuff, like shoot a music video in China."

Tyler shrugged, "To me, being famous isn't that big of deal mainly because our fame is new and its still growing."

"True. We haven't been stopped in the middle of the street, yet. To me, being famous isn't a big deal to me because its not what I chose to do. I chose to be in a band and some how it became famous, so there's my answer. Being famous is just another addition in what I want to do. Hope that was a good enough answer for you Christina."

"Well, your long answer Dee, leave us only ten seconds until midnight, so people get your asses off of the couches and chairs and count down with me," Tyler said, standing, "seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!" He exclaimed along with Chris.

The two men jumped slightly when confetti and balloons fell from the ceiling but soon they were chuckling and tossing the balloons attempting to hit each other in the face with them. "Well, after that, here's a music video from My Chemical Romance title Na Na Na, enjoy!" yelled Chris before the the camera cut off. Sighing, Chris sank down on the couch. "Nine more hours."

Tyler smiled and sat next to Chris, "Hey, you know that stupid tradition on New Years?"

Turning his head towards Tyler, Chris raised an eyebrow, "What tradition?'

Slowly, Tyler leaned closer to Chris, "The one where if you kiss the one you want, you'll have a good relationship for that year," he whispered before he closed the distance between he and the vocalist.

Tyler smiled when he felt Chris immediately respond to the kiss, the younger man's arms reaching up and wrapping around his neck while his own hands settled on cupping Chris's face. Nervously, Tyler opened his mouth and nipped at Chris's lips with his teeth. Using the Hallwell's gasp against him, Tyler deepened the kiss. The red-head smirked when he felt Chris try to fight for dominance. Tyler won and began to map out Chris's mouth with his tongue, his mind remembering the cavern as if he never left it. Slowly, Tyler withdrew from the heated kiss and gazed into Chris's eyes. Glazed sage green eyes soon became focused and looked at Tyler.

Using his thumb to comfort the man, Tyler smiled. "Even if this doesn't work out, I won't leave you. I'll still be your friend, like before."

"But-"

"Please," pleaded Tyler, "Give me this one chance. Your body is saying yes, your heart is saying yes, why can't your mind follow with peer pressure?"

Chris chuckled, "Only you would crack a joke in a time like this,"

"So?"

Chris shook his head which made Tyler frown, "Why-" Tyler's eyes grew wide when he felt Chris's lips on his, a soft, sweet kiss.

Tyler opened his eyes when he felt it leave, "I'm guessing that's a yes then?"

Chris smirked, "Congratulations, you convinced me."


	14. Refero

Settling on the couch, Chris crossed his arms over his chest. Beside him, Tyler had a large smile on his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with happiness. Chris rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's over happy expression just because he agreed to be Tyler's partner again. "No touching or kissing on television Jai," Chris murmured.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because I think I should have enough decency to tell my family that I have a boyfriend  _before_ I start making out with him on national television." drawled Chris.

Tyler blinked before shrugging, "I don't think your mother would appreciate learning about her son's love life that way,"

"She would kill me."

"Like I said, wouldn't appreciate." Tyler answered with a smirk, "Let's just finish this up and then head back to the apartment. Then when we wake up, we can summon you know who, and then head to the airport."

"Their answer isn't going to change Jai and you know it." muttered Chris.

"Doesn't hurt to try."

Chris sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I just want to get this damn thing over with, I'm tired."

"And cranky."

Chris glared at Tyler, "Shut up,"

"And my proof."

"Shut. Up. Jaiden."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me," Chris muttered as he looked at the blue card in his hand.

"What?" Tyler asked, looking over the shoulder before he started to laugh, "Well, I think our viewers want to hear the question that caused Damon Payne to become speechless."

Groaning, Chris kneaded his eyes, slightly smudging his eyeliner, "Rock and roll is sex, drugs and rock and roll. Do any of the Outcasts have a chance in the sex department? And that was asked by Penny in New Mexico." Chris sighed, "To answer your question, no...no...and no."

Tyler leaned back and barked out in laughter, "I concur with Damon," he said between laughs.

Chris shook his head and tossed the card aside, "Finally, an innocent one. Do you have any pets? If you do, who is taking care of them when you're on tour?" Chris paused, a troubled look coming over his face, "Who is this from? PETA?" He inquired, handing the card over to Tyler, who read it again. Tyler smiled, "I have a goldfish named Sparky." He answered with a goofy smile on his face.

Taking the pile of cards back, Chris looked at the cards before flicking his eyes back to the camera, "I have a wolf, and her name is none of your business, she doesn't like press."

"Next question," Tyler said as he snatched the cards from Chris's hands, "Alright, Who has siblings? From Kate in Maine. I have an older sister and that's it."

Chris rolled his eyes and took the cards back, "I have an older brother and three younger sisters."

"Sisters?" Tyler said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, three younger cousins, but they're practically sisters. So, they're sisters in my mind." Chris stated stubbornly.

"They tortured you like sisters that's for sure," snorted Tyler.

"Tortured is an understatement," muttered Chris, "and next question. Damon, we want the next album, so when is it coming out, from Sam in California." Chris sighed, pinching the sides of his nose, "Well, Sam, the next album will come out when I think of one." he answered, a smirk on his face and he flicked the card towards the camera.

"Next question, When are you coming back to California to do a concert and that's from Melinda in...California," Chris rolled his eyes, "In a few months after we do the UK tour we'll make our way back to Cali." he answered.

Tyler chuckled and grabbed the cards again, "Dear Pariah, I love your music...and that's all it says...I thought these were suppose to be questions."

Looking at the card, Chris raised an eyebrow, "Well, obviously someone didn't do their job." glancing up at the camera, Chris looked disappointed and shook his head, "Pity," he said before tossing the card over his shoulder, "Alright, time for some shameless advertising, here's The Kill by us, Pariah. Enjoy! Dance! Sing! Go the Bathroom! I don't know, do something since its two in the damn morning!" he said with a smile as the cameras faded to the video.

"Seven more hours," Tyler said with a small chuckle.

Chris groaned, "Fuck, kill me now."

"Nope."

"...I hate you."

"Nope, you love me so, so, so much."

"No, I'm pretty sure I hate you right now."

"Hate is just a step away from love dear."

"Well, right now, I'm on the hate side of the line, so shh before I duct tape your mouth shut."

* * *

Chris collapsed on the bed, forgoing the idea of changing clothes or showering. With his face hidden in the soft blanket, Chris sighed and closed his eyes, his worn out body screaming at him to just sleep.

He turned his head when he heard his bedroom door shut and rolled his eyes at Tyler as the man attempted to get his dark red shirt off as he walked across the room. Sighing, Chris stood and aided the man out of his garment. "Sometimes I worry," mumbled Chris as he chucked the t-shirt across the room.

Tyler smirked, "You probably should considering its me."

Chris shook his head and took off his shirt, leaving him in only his black jeans. The man jumped slightly when he felt arms wrap around his waist. "Shit, Ty,' Chris breathed, his hand on his chest.

Chris could feel the redhead chuckling, his back pressed against Tyler's chest. Chris closed his eyes when he felt Tyler press a kiss to his left shoulder. "Ty," growled Chris, "Stop."

Tyler smirked and kissed the skin just underneath Chris's earlobe before latching on to the small black stud that Chris wore and twisted it with his teeth. "Tyler, I swear to God, if you don't stop," threatened Chris, the vocalist's hands gripping Tyler's forearms painfully.

"If you didn't want this, you could get out of this grip easily," Tyler whispered before he kissed Chris's neck. He paused on Chris's pulse and nipped at it, leaving the skin red and bruised.

"Ty, stop, please." Chris whispered, "We should go to bed, and without me being marked for the whole world to see."

Tyler smiled and rested his chin on Chris's shoulder, "And what fun would that be?"

"You wanted to summon that Elder right?" Chris inquired, his eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Tyler replied, "And this is when you say, then we should go to bed now." Tyler said with a smirk.

"I hate you sometimes." Chris said with a glare.

Tyler smiled and leaned forward slightly, "Nope, you wuv me, remember?" He whispered before placing his lips on Chris's.

The kiss was innocent and closed mouth, their lips moving languid and comforting. Releasing the vocalist, Tyler smiled at Chris. Giving him one last peck, Tyler detached himself from Chris and headed to the bathroom. Sighing, Chris sat on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. It was obvious that Chris would have to put some guidelines on this relationship. He didn't need Tyler attacking every moment he had. Chris wasn't big on public affection; hugging, holding hands and the occasional peck was all he could do, unless it was something to piss off the press.

Chris exhaled, and quickly took off his pants and crawled into bed in his boxers. He closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

_Haunted green eyes looked at him. Chris could feel his heart banging against his chest as he backed up. His breathing were harsh pants, which only got worse when he felt the hard wall hit his back._

_"You, worthless, piece of shit," the man hissed._

_Chris grunted when he felt a fist connect with his stomach. He could feel bile rise in this throat. The sharp metallic tang of blood exploded in his mouth when a hand connected with his cheek. Chris tumbled to the ground. He groaned._

_A sharp kick to his stomach. He curled up, a futile attempt to protect himself._

_"You are nothing, nothing!"_

_Chris coughed. Ruby red droplets fell to the hard wood floor._

_"Baby killer, thats all you are!"_

_A loud crack. A sharp pain. A broken rib._

_"You should just die!"_

_Chris huffed, his breaths shallow. "I'm...Sorry,"_

_"Sorry can't replace my daughter."_

_Chris screamed when he felt the athame plunge into his stomach._

 

* * *

 

He shot up, his sage green eyes large and his chest heaving.

"Chris?"

Chris gulped. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. Raising his hands, he could feel them shaking.

"Another one?" Tyler whispered as he gently lowered himself on the bed, his hands curling around Chris's. "Bad one,"

"One of the worse ones," Chris whispered, his eyes clenching shut.

Tyler sighed, a pained expression washing over his face. Gently, Tyler brushed the sweaty hair from Chris's neck. "Calm down, deep breaths," he said softly, "Listen to mine, in...out...in...out,"

Chris tried to hone in on Tyler's breathing, willing himself to loosen his tense body and to relax. Leo wasn't here. Leo didn't know where he was. Leo was gone.  _For now_ , his mind whispered, making his breath shaky.

"Shh," comforted Tyler, the man's thumbs rubbing circles on the back of Chris's hands, "You need to calm down."

"I'm trying," Chris replied, "Not exactly working."

Chris closed his eyes and listened to his breath, and willed it to go back to normal. He knew how to do this, but why wasn't it working?

"Stop thinking and just do Chris," Tyler instructed before he kissed the side of Chris's neck, "Shut off that overworking mind and let your body do what it wants."

A few minutes later, Chris eased open his eyes; his breathing back to normal. "Thanks," he said hushed.

Tyler chuckled, "Been doing it for quite a few years, why would I stop now?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Fine, won't thank you the next time,"

"I'm hoping there isn't a next time," murmurer Tyler.

"There's always going to be a next time. My mind loves to torture me."

Tyler exhaled heavily, "It will go away eventually. Trust me Chris."

"I hope you're right Ty." Chris sighed.

Tyler smirked, "I'm always right."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "Oh, are you now? Do I need to bring up US History, sophomore year?Who was the sixteenth president again Ty?"

Tyler pouted and glared at Chris, "Hush you,"

Chris merely laughed, his body curling over as he did. Tyler smirked and quickly maneuvered so Chris was laying on the bed, with Tyler hovered above him. Chris glared and attempted to turn himself.

"This is a moment where I hate you." Chris stated.

Tyler smirked, "And this is where I chuckle." He said, and then mockingly laughed.

Chris continued to glare, "Get off of me,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"We are not going to do this, we're not six," Chris sighed, "What time is it anyways?"

"Uh, ten at night," Tyler answered.

"Might as well get up then," muttered Chris, "We have a three o'clock flight. If we want to summon that Elder, we should do it now."

Tyler frowned but got off of Chris and stood beside the bed as the vocalist sat up. Chris stood, "I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed. Go take your potion and get dressed and start packing."

"Aye aye sir," Tyler answered, mock saluting.

"Just do as I told you, will ya?"

Tyler chuckled and walked out of the bedroom. Chris shook his head and gathered a pair of dark blue jeans and a old Barcelona soccer jersey shirt before heading to the bathroom.

* * *

" _Holy Spirit above,_

_Those who guide us,_

_I am seeking guidance of,_

_That of which you process."_

Chris stuffed the piece of paper into his pants pocket and crossed his arms as a trio of white balls came from the ceiling. The Halliwell could feel Tyler standing behind him. Soon, the white lights manifested into an elegant dressed blond woman, her thick curls framing her young looking face. She wore the typical white and gold robes that an Elder wears, her hands laced together as she stood in front of Chris.

"Christopher, I would ask why I was being summoned, but I have a feeling it has to do with your father," she said, her soprano voice soft and intelligent sounding.

Chris frowned, "Yes. I was wondering since my family knows about the abuse that maybe you Elders could do something. I mean, he's one of you now."

The Elder scowled, "You fail to realize though Christopher is that there is no law for an Elder or Whitelight abusing their children because they shouldn't have any children."

"Well, an Elder did so you're just going to sit back and let him beat his son?" hissed Chris.

The Elder sighed, "This is out of our hands Christopher,"

Pinching the sides of his nose, Chris forced his exhale out slowly, "The Sanctus Humus, is that real or not?"

"I believe so, but it hasn't been called upon for quite a few centuries," The Elder replied, "Why do you ask?"

Chris smirked, "Well, you said it was out of your hands right? Well, might as well go to the higher ups."

"You can't go to the Sanctus Humus for something as childish as this Christopher," scolded the Elder.

Chris narrowed his eyes on the Elder, "Childish. You believe this to be childish?"

"Yes. A spat between a son and his father is childish."

"You know nothing," Chris growled, "Leave, you're obviously no help to me," He said, and waved his hand, the Elder enveloped with a cloud of blueish white lights.

Chris sighed and sat on the arm of the couch, "Well, we got our answer. We learn how to summon the Sanctus Humus. We develop a case and then we go to magical court."

"Never thought I would go to magical court," snorted Tyler, "Has a funny name to it."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Well, let's eat something then get on a plane back to Ireland so we can do the show tomorrow."

* * *

Chris leaned his head on the cool window of the plane, his eyes settling on the dark abyss below him that was the ocean. He sighed as the throbbing of his head returned. He knew he was coming down with sometime, and it was right on schedule. It was early January, and he always seemed to get sick around this time.

Closing his eyes, Chris wrapped his arms tighter around himself. All he had to do was get some sleep and he would feel better, he hoped.

* * *

"And after that we can do Capricorn," Chris said, writing down the song title on the set list, "What should we do for the encores?"

Tyler sighed, "The Kill obviously,"

Chris nodded and wrote down the song title before sharply turning his head and coughing into his elbow. With a soft groan, Chris turned back to the set list, "What about A Modern Myth before The Kill?"

"That's good. And you're sick again," Tyler said.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Its January, it was bound to happen. Not all of us is graced with a good immune system like some people,"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Us people who are graced with a good immune system is because we have to look over those people who have crappy ones like you."

"Screw you," Chris remarked.

"Five days into the new year and you're already sick, I have to say, this has to be a record," snorted Tyler.

"Again, screw you," Chris lightly snapped, "Now, we got our set list done for tonight, why do I feel like we're forgetting something?"

"We have sound check in a few hours, and we did our interviews...I think you're just paranoid."

"We still need to look up a summoning spell for that court," Chris sighed before he turned his head and let out a trio of coughs, "Might as well try to do it now before the show."

Tyler frowned, "Why don't you crawl in bed, and sleep?"

"What? Are you my brother or something?" snorted Chris as he grabbed his laptop, the man sitting in the booth.

"No, I'm your boyfriend, I'm ten-times worse," Tyler responded with a smirk.

"Oh no, I'm so scared," mocked Chris, "Now shut up so I can find this damn spell."

"Aye, aye sir, anything else sir? A cup of tea? A sandwich? Kinky Sex?" drawled Tyler.

Chris glared at Tyler. "Go and take the set list to the sound men before I send you to the Arctic Circle."

Chuckling nervously, Tyler grabbed the sheet and gave Chris a quick peck on the cheek before sprinting out of the tour bus. Smirking, Chris returned his attention back to the computer, chuckling under his breath.

* * *

"Thank you Helsinki!" Chris exclaimed, the crowd before him erupting into loud cheers as he and the rest of his band walked off the stage. As soon as he crossed the threshold of where the fans could see him, Chris let out a hacking cough that had threatening to emerge since the beginning of the encore set.

"Dee, you alright man?"

Straightening himself, Chris sent a small smile to the English drummer. The man's dark blue eyes looked at the vocalist with worry, Zach's short brown hair was plastered to his forehead from sweat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," croaked Chris.

Zach raised an eyebrow, "You don't sound fine, mate."

"Its normal for me to get sick around this time," Chris answered, his voice barely a whisper.

"Maybe we should get you some throat spray,"

Rolling his eyes, Chris walked with the drummer to meet the fans outside of the venue, "Knowing Jai, he's already got that and more."

Zach chuckled, "He's the perfect boyfriend then."

"Perfect, right," drawled Chris, "More like overprotective freak who thinks every germ will kill me."

Wincing, Zach looked at Chris, "Well..."

"Now what?" Chris said exasperated.

"You don't have the best immune system mate, just sayin'"

"Not you too Zach,"

Zach held his hands up in a defensive fashion, "Hey! I was just stating a fact. Don't kill me."

"I won't kill you Zachary, I'm not that mean," Chris said, a smile on his face, his voice filled with false sweetness, "I will just maim you in the most painful way known to man."

Zach blinked in confusion as he watched Chris leave through the door. "Good...to know," he mumbled before following the man.

* * *

"Oh God, its the hoody,"

Chris looked at Tyler, his eyes in a weak glare as he poured himself a thermos of coffee. "Oh calm down,"

"You do realize that every Outcast will see that hoody and instantly know your sick right?" Tyler said, leaning on the counter next to Chris.

Chris rolled his eyes and pulled up the hoody's hood, covering his bi-colored hair and most of his face. "So what? I am sick."

"Yes, I realized that when it was four in the damn morning and you were coughing your damn head off."

Chris sighed, "Sorry, the medicine didn't exactly work last night." He said before coughing into his elbow, "God, I feel like utter crap."

Wrapping an arm around Chris's shoulder, he pulled the man over so he was leaning into the bassist's side, the side of his head resting on Tyler's chest. "We can cancel."

"Nah, I'll be fine." mumbled Chris, "Now, what?"

Reaching into his pocket of his back hoody, Chris pulled out his Blackberry. "Yeah Mom?"

"Hi Honey," Piper greeted, "How are you?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chris responded with a fine and listened to his mother babble about nonsense that was happening at the manor. With his eyes closed, Chris just responded with a hum at the appropriate times and the occasional "yeah" to make his mother think he was listening to her.

"Mom, sorry to cut this short, but I have to do an interview right now," Chris said as he and Tyler walked out the door, "I'll call you later alright?"

"Oh alright dear. Love you."

"Love you too Mom." Chris replied before hanging up.

With a soft groan, Chris stuffed his Blackberry back into his pocket. "We should be going to that interview now."

Tyler frowned as he rubbed small circles on the man's back, "Are you sure?"

Chris nodded and pushed himself off of Tyler, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Hasn't been the first time I've done this,"

Sighing, Tyler put his arm around Chris and lead him out of the bus and into a black SUV that was waiting for him, "Fine, but you're sleeping afterward."

"What? Are you my mother?"

"No, but I'm older so, you have to listen to me."

"I hardly think four months accounts to anything," drawled Chris.

Tyler smirked, "I like to think so."

"Well, you think wrong."

"Your words hurt me so my love," Tyler said dramatically.

Chris rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat, "Shut up, some ill people are trying to get some sleep. God, some people are so rude."

Tyler chuckled and pulled the man so his head was resting on the bassist's shoulder. "I'm more comfortable."

"Sure, whatever. If it will make you shut up," muttered Chris, his eyes closed.

Tyler just smiled and continued to watch the town as the driver drove through town, the soft breathing of Chris's keeping the expression on his face.

* * *

Leaning, he smirked as he saw the two men walk down the street, closely huddled together. He could feel the smooth metal of his athame in his hand, his heart wishing to drive it through the ribs of the frontman. However, his mind told him to wait. He couldn't do it on a crowded street, too many witnesses.

Leaning back, Leo smirked and orbed away; waiting until the perfect moment to kill his mistake of a son.

* * *

Chris sat in his bed, his phone in his lap. Beside him, on a ripped piece of paper, was a six lined spell. He could summon the court and get it over with without his family ever knowing, but he knew if they did find out – which the always did – he would be killed by his mother and his brother, and the rest of his family. Sighing, he dialed his mother's cell phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Mom?"

"Yeah Peanut? What's a matter?" Piper inquired, a slight worried tone seeping into her voice.

Chris forced a smirk, "How come when I call, something has to be wrong?"

"When do you ever call and there isn't something wrong?" retorted Piper.

Chris sighed, "Ever heard of the Sanctus Humus?"

"No," Piper answered after a moment of pause, "Why?"

Picking up the spell, Chris looked at the words, "Because, they could be the only way to have Leo punished."


	15. Infirmus

Chris raised an eyebrow when he got no comment from his mother after his declaration. Thinking that perhaps the call was cut, Chris checked the phone. The screen was still illuminated and the seconds were still ticking. Holding the phone back up, he said his mother's name, attempting to break whatever trance she was in.

"How?" she finally asked.

Kneading his forehead, Chris explained researching the group and the eventual revelation of the spell.

"Don't summon them," Piper stated; her tone stern.

Chris blinked, "What?"

"I don't want you to summon them until your aunts and I can do some more research on them, and I don't want you to summon them until we're there,"

"Mom," Chris softly groaned.

"I mean it Chris. We have no idea how this group works and I don't want you going into this alone," replied Piper.

"I'll have Ty," Chris weakly protested.

"Two witches aren't enough for a group of magical creatures," drawled Piper, "We are coming and that is final,"

Chris exhaled heavily, "Yes Mom," he felt like a child again, back at the manor and being scolded for breaking a vase or something.

"Alright. Paige and I will go to Magic School tomorrow," reasoned Piper, "and we'll figure out how this group works...Now, do you want to tell me something else?"

Chris could tell by his mother's voice that she already knew something. The question is what was it his mother knew.

"Uhh..."

"Have you seen People's magazine or Us?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Mom, I'm on my way to France right now. Kind of hard to pick up a tabloid."

Piper chuckled, "Well, I hope he's treating you well."

Chris's trademark look of a raised right eyebrow appeared on his face, "Mom, what you talking about?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Considering I have no idea what you're talking about, it would be kind of nice if you did."

Piper sighed, "I know you and Ty are together."

"How?" Chris softly exclaimed.

"There's a picture of you two kissing on the front page of a majority of the tabloids," answered Piper," I think its from the New Year thing."

Chris swore under his breath.

"Is everything alright Peanut?" Piper asked; concerned.

"Yeah," Chris replied warily, "I just wasn't expecting this so soon," he let out a mirthless chuckle that followed with a few coughs, "Oh, the joys of being in the limelight."

"I'm sorry,"

Chris smiled sadly, "Not your fault Mom." he sighed, "I'll let you get some sleep, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Love you,"

"Love you too, bye."

With a heavy exhale, Chris hung up his phone and slid it under his pillow. He leaned back and looked at the ceiling, the dark wood only a few inches from his nose. He couldn't believe his relationship with Tyler was already out. He was at least hoping to be able to tell his mother and family before it was plastered all over the magazines.

Groaning, Chris flicked on the small light that was attached to the ceiling of his cot. There was no way he was going to sleep now. Frowning, Chris pulled out his worn-out copy of  _Crime and Punishment,_ the young man hoping the Russian novel would lull him to sleep.

* * *

Feeling his pillow vibrate and the soft hum of 'O Fortuna', Tyler eased his eyes open and yawned. He fished for his phone and silenced it before stretching as much as he could in his coffin size cot. Tyler pulled the curtain aside and leaped out of his bed. He cold feel that the bus was still moving towards Paris.

Tyler slid open the wooden divider between the sleeping quarters and living centers. He looked around and frowned at the lack of his boyfriend he thought that Chris had put his alarm clock thirty minutes before his own, and Zach was due to wake up thirty minutes after Tyler, so the band didn't fight over the lone bathroom on the bus.

Turning around, Tyler walked by the cots and headed to the small door on the right. He softly knocked on it. No answer.

"Damon?" he softly called, using Chris's stage name in case Zach could hear them.

With only one place left to look, Tyler pulled the curtain and let out a sigh of relief. Chris looked at him with eyes wide and Ipod earbuds in his ears. His hair was hanging in clumps, the stands still damp from his early shower.

"...You're in bed," Tyler said dumbly.

Slowly, Chris took one of the earbuds out and nodded, "Is there something you needed?"

"How are you feeling?"

Chris looked at Tyler with confusion, "I'm alive...Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," quipped Tyler, a smile on the bassist's face.

"Right..."Chris replied as he slid out of the cot, "Follow, we need to talk,"

Dread filled Tyler as he followed the vocalist to the living area. Chris motioned for Tyler to sit in the booth while he went to grab a bottle of water. Sitting next to Tyler, Chris sighed, "Our relationship is on the front page of the tabloids,"

"What? How?"

"Apparently, someone got photo happy at the All-Nighter. They probably been auctioning it off for the past week," murmured Chris, "When one magazine got a hold of it, they sold it to the rest,"

"Your Mom?"

A soft snort came from Chris, "How did you think I found out about it?"

Tyler sighed, "I thought all the cameras were off, I didn't think. I know how much you ha-"

"It's fine Jai," Chris interrupted, his hand entwining with Tyler's, "It was only a matter of time,"

"It still sucks thought," whispered Tyler as he gently pulled Chris towards him, "I'll probably get a call from Violet later,"

"She'll probably squeal with happiness," Chris said with a small smile, "I suggest putting her on speaker so you don't go deaf."

Tyler smirked and pulled Chris towards him. He blinked when Chris rest his head on his shoulder. "You're hot."

Chris chuckled, "Thank you? But I hope that's not the reason why you're going out with me though,"

Rolling his eyes, Tyler put his hand on Chris's forehead, "You're running a fever,"

"I'm fine,"

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Your body temperature says otherwise,"

Scowling, Chris replied, "Then my body temperature is wrong,"

Tyler moved his hand to cup Chris's cheek, "Your body temperature isn't wrong; you're sick."

"And if I am?"

"You should be in your cot, sleeping."

"Don't have time. We have an interview in an hour and half." replied Chris with a small frown, "and I still have to get dressed and put my makeup on,"

"We're still driving though,"

"We'll be in Paris in twenty minutes," answered Chris, "And you still need to shower before Zach wakes up,"

"Is Zach coming with us?" inquired Tyler.

Chris nodded, "and before we let him sign on as our drummer, we need to tell him our backstory. Its only fair, plus I'm sick and tired of calling you Jaiden all the time,"

"And you're also just sick,"

With a weak glare, Chris pecked Tyler's lips, "Well, do an ill man a favor and take a shower so we can go and get the interview over with and maybe I can take a nap before the next one if we get done with the talk soon enough,"

Tyler smirked, "If I get sick, I'm coming after you,"

Chris rolled his eyes, "And when have you ever gotten sick?"

Tyler opened his mouth to respond only to falter, "Exactly," Chris said with a smile, 'Now, go shower. You only have ten minutes."

"You're just trying to get rid of me," Tyler replied with a pout.

"Well, you do smell..."

Standing, Tyler mocked glared at his chuckling boyfriend, "Ass." he muttered before stomping to the bathroom.

* * *

"Why do I feel like I should be scared," Zach said with a nervous chuckle.

"You should!" Tyler crackled before laughing manically.

"Shut up," snapped Chris as he slapped Tyler on the chest, the small spikes on his black leather fingerless gloves adding to the sting slightly, "You're not getting kicked out of the band or anything," he told Zach.

The British man raised an eyebrow, "So, what's with this meeting then?"

Chris sighed, "First, we want you to join Pariah, permanently." he stated as he slid a packet of paper towards the stunned drummer, "Just sign that, and you're in. But..."

Glancing up from the contract, Zach looked at the two with confusion, "But...?"

Chris slightly winced, "Well, to start off, my name isn't Damon Payne. It's Christopher Halliwell."

"And mine's Tyler Larson,"

"Wait, what?" stammered Zach, the man's dark blue eyes shifting from one man to the other.

"I ran away when I was sixteen," explained Chris, "Tyler found me a few weeks later. He got a hair-brained idea to start a band. You should know the rest."

Zach blinked, "Why did you run away,"

Chris's eyes fell to his and Tyler's embraced hands that were nestled on his thigh, "My father abused me for thirteen years,"

"Oh," Zach softly breathed, "Sorry, mate."

"Its fine," Chris replied with a small shrug and comforting smile," We're sorry we lied to you,"

Zach shrugged, "Its not unusual that famous people have fake names, although you have a batter reason than most," glancing back at the contract, Zach smiled, "Let me read over this and sign it."

"Thank Zach,"

"No problem mate,"

* * *

Chris opened his eyes and instantly wished he didn't. His cell phone was vibrating under his pillow; a soft chime ringing every ten seconds. He silenced the alarm and turned over. He pulled the thick blanket over his head and let out a soft groan.

His head was pounding, the pain centering on his temples and directly behind his eyes. Every breath he took burned his throat and forced his congested lungs to work. He knew he had to get up, but his body just wouldn't budge from the warm cocoon of blankets. However, with a wince, Chris pushed himself up. He wavered slightly when a sense of vertigo hit him. Slowly, he slid out of bed and stumble to the bathroom.

Chris leaned over the small sick, his eyes clenched as the room continued to spin. He eased his way away from the sink and turned on the shower. Stripping off his black sweatpants, Chris slid into the spray of water, he shivered. Bracing with his hands against the wall, Chris tried to warm up. It wasn't working.

After quickly washing his body and hair, Chris stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a plush dark red towels. He hurried to his cot and pulled open the drawers that were underneath it. He grabbed a pair of black jeans, a plain black t-shirt and, of course, the 'cursed' black hoody that he always seemed to wear when he was ill.

He then trudged into the living quarters and collapsed into the booth with a groan. His head was pounding now. He knew he had to get up, brew some coffee and chock down a bitter empathy dulling potion or today was only going to get worse. But, even though his mind was telling him to do these things, he only pulled his hood up and put his forehead on the table; his eyes closing. He sighed and shivered as he wrapped his arms loosely around his waist.

Slowly, he eased his mind up and looked at the small, black coffeemaker that sat on the counter across from him. He lazily gestured his hand – intending to use his powers to turn it on. Two hisses filled the air simultaneously. One came from the machine as it came to life. The other came from Chris as a shot of sharp pain went from temple to temple.

Weakly, he called out the name of his potion and watched through painfilled eyes as it appeared in a shower of orbs in his hand. He took the greenish-blue potion with a slight grimance.

Chris folded his arms on the table and lowered his hood again. He pushed his nose into the crevic of his right elbow, the soft fabric of his hoody giving him warmth.

This was when he missed home the most. The soft, warm quilt that his mother use to wrap him up in when he got sick. She use to always heat it up in the dryer moments before doing so. A special touch that only a mother seems to think of. Then, the chicken noodle soup that she would bring him while he lay in bed. Made by hand, it – to this day – is Chris's favorite dish of his mother's cooking. And, just the simple touches and the soft, comforting smile that she did to him that would sooth him to sleep or out of pain. He missed the simple thing of being mothered by his mother.

Within the midst of his thoughts, he didn't notice the downward motion of his eyelids, and before he could catch on, Chris fell into slumber.


	16. Rememdium

Walking into the bus, Tyler's face fell at the lack of noise. He knew Zach was gone for an interview and was suppose to meet up at a diner in an hour or two for brunch. Meanwhile, Tyler was checking the arena and Chris was to be fine-tuning the schedule with interviews, photo shoots, and the all important music video for A Beautiful Lie in March. However, setting up interviews usually required talking or at least moving around papers.

Tyler slid his leather coat off and threw it on the booth before heading back to the bunks, the only other place where Tyler could think Chris could be at this moment. Slowly, Tyler pulled the curtain open and his expression instantly darkened.

Curled up on his side was his missing boyfriend. His skin was flush with a fever; small tremors shook the lithe body even though the man was wrapped up tightly in a hoody and a thick quilt. Chris's face scrunched up as a trio of throaty coughs erupted from his lips.

Gently, Tyler brushed the sweat matted bangs aside and winced at the temperature. With a sigh, Tyler broke away from Chris and headed to the bathroom, the bassist pulling out his cell phone as he did.

"Hello, this is Jaiden from Pariah...yeah, we're suppose to play tonight, but our frontman, Damon, fell ill and can't sing now," explained Tyler as he pulled out a thermometer and a small bottle of Tylenol, "We'll reschedule for a later date, don't worry. Sorry for the inconvenience. Have an nice night."

After sending two quick texts – one to Zach and the other to the lead groupie – he slid the phone back into his jeans pocket and then returned to Chris's side. Softly, so he didn't wake the man up, Tyler put the thermometer into Chris's mouth. A few minutes later, he slid it back out and his frown deepened.

"Chris," Tyler whispered; gently shaking Chris's shoulder, "Chris?"

The man let out a pitiful cough and mumbled something but stayed asleep.

"Come on Chris," Tyler said, shaking the ill man a bit more forcefully.

"Ty?" mouthed Chris, sage green eyes slowly being exposed as sluggish eyelids pulled back.

"Hey," Tyler softly said back, a small smile on his lips, "No offense, but you look like shit."

"I feel like it." croaked Chris, "time?"

"Shortly after noon,"

"Shit, I didn't get anything done,"

Tyler's frown reappeared, "I'm more worried about you right now,"

"I'm fine," Chris mumbled as he attempted to sit up.

Sighing, Tyler pushed Chris back down, "Lay down."

"The concert."

"Canceled."

"What!" rasped Chris, "Why?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tyler just looked at Chris with his arms crossed, "You can barely talk let alone sing."

"I would've been-"

"If you say fine, I'm going to duct tape your mouth shut 'cause I'm getting sick and tired of your lies. So, lay down, sleep, get better."

Chris narrowed his eyes, silently protesting. Tyler glared back and put two pills on the bunk, "Take those, you'll feel better if your fever goes down."

With a heavy exhale, Chris relented and quickly gulped the pills dry. "Happy?" Chris mumbled.

Tyler smiled sadly, "Just feel better so we don't have to cancel St. Petersburg,"

Chris simply nodded and snuggled back into his covers, his back turned towards Chris. He heard Tyler whisper, "I'll make you some soup when you wake up," before the slider slid shut.

* * *

Samantha smiled as she plopped on her bed, the young woman already in her pajamas. She quickly wound her hair into a haphazard bun before she pulled her new laptop from underneath her bed. Leaning back on her pillows, she put her computer on her lap and waiting for it to boot up. Quickly, she typed in her favorite website – .com – and waited for it to load. She sighed. She hated the wifi at UCLA, it was so slow in her dorm room.

Eventually, the black and dark red background loaded, along with a large bright red and orange phoenix stood proudly with its wings spread wide in the middle of the screen. Checking the tour schedule and her school schedule, she started an attempt to match up a good date to go. However, by time she got towards the last few dates, Sam began cursing under her breath. No dates were matching up!

Until she reached the last date, February 10th, two weeks from today in Barcelona, Spain. She quickly typed in her information and clicked confirmed. She smiled as the screen jumped back to the homepage. Her smile fell however when she read the new headline : PARIS SHOW CANCELED.

She clicked on the hyperlink and urged her computer to go faster. Slowly, a small statement appeared.

_We regret to inform that the Paris, France show on January 27_ _th_ _has been canceled. Damon has fallen ill and is unable to perform. We will reschedule the date and the tickets already purchased will be usable for the new date. Thank you, and we're sorry for the inconvenience._

Frowning, Sam closed her laptop and pushed it off her lap. Chris was sick? The concept was nothing new to her. In their youth, Chris was always the sick one in the family. But it was usually small annoyances more so than a full blown illness that would keep a person bedridden. ' _Could just be a throat thing, no need to freak Aunt Piper out about'_ she reasoned. With a small nod to confirm her thoughts, the young woman turned off he light and curled up in bed.

* * *

"How is he?" Zach inquired as he eased the door closed.

Tyler sighed and shut his laptop and slid it so it sat in the middle of the table, "He has a 101.9 fever, and that's  _with_ medicine. He's currently passed out in his bunk; hopefully, sweating this out."

Zach winced, "that bad?"

"I feel like I should take him to the hospital or something" Tyler mumbled, his arms crossed over his chest.

Zach put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, "He'll get better, you're just being a worrywart mate."

Tyler groaned and put his forehead on the table, "Hopefully he's better by tomorrow so we don't have to cancel St. Petersburg. Virgin wasn't happy about us canceling Paris."

Zach snorted as he sat across from the bassist, "When is Virgin ever happy with you?"

"Hey! You're part of Pariah now so Virgin isn't happy with you either now,"

Zach chuckled, "I guess that's right now, eh? Knew I should've thought about this whole joining the band thing through a bit more,"

Tyler smirked, "You love us and you know it,"

Zach rolled his eyes, 'Yeah, sure, lets go with love and not that I just tolerate you two for money."

Tyler gripped his heart, "Oh, Zachary, your words sting me so!" he said dramatically, the man tilting back in the booth.

Snorting, Zach crossed his arms, "And now I know why Chris writes the lyrics."

Tyler pouted, "Why does everyone say that!"

"Because, no offense Ty, you suck with words. Way too dramatic."

"...I'm a drama major for a reason."

"Yeah, but no need to be a drama queen mate."

"...Asshole, I would be a king."

"Not according to Chris," Zach replied chuckling.

Tyler blinked, "What is that suppose to mean?"

Standing, Zach made his way towards the door, "Oh nothing."

"Zach, what did you mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all Ty," He said, "I have to go...uhh...do something, bye!" Zach quickly scurried out of the bus.

Tyler frowned and glared at the closing door, "Apparently Chrissie and I need to have a little chat about our discussions of our sex life," he mumbled, "But first, time to sabotage little Zachy's bunk," he added, and with a manic smile, Tyler went off to reek revenge.

* * *

The rustle of paper and the soft swoosh of a page turning were the only sounds within the Magic School library as the Charmed Ones found themselves within the walls searching for any hint of the Sanctus Humus. Forty-five minutes into the search and nothing could be found about the mysterious group. With a huff, Piper closed the third book that she has looked in and chucked it to the other side of the couch, the large leather bound book bouncing as it hit the dark red arm.

"I'm guessing that means you didn't find anything," Paige mused from her spot at the table, Phoebe sitting beside her.

"No, I just wanted to throw a book," spat Piper, "If this group exists, then why the hell can't we find anything about them?"

Phoebe sighed and gently closed the book, "The Book didn't have anything, and we found squat in these. Maybe this group isn't real?"

Piper frowned, "I hope not. If they're not, then we need to find  _something_ ,  _someone_  to take Leo to justice. He can't just get off torturing Chris for thirteen years!"

Paige looked at her eldest sister, "We won't. If we can't find someone, we'll do it ourselves. Screw the Greater Good, if the Greater Good won't give Leo what he deserves then I'm ashamed that I've stood by something that condones child abuse,"

"I'm with her," Phoebe said, "But, let's try the Elders, maybe they can help?"

"They didn't help Chris when he called them." Piper hissed.

Phoebe smirked, "Ah, but honey, we're not Chris. We're the Charmed Ones, and hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn."

* * *

Chris shot up when he heard a shout from above him, the man's eyes wide. "What the-"

The curtain was open and a smiling Tyler was standing there, "Oh hi dear, nice nap?"

"What the hell," Chris paused as he coughed, "is going on?"

"Oh nothing. Just some payback,"

Groaning, Chris shook his head, "Ty, I thought we agreed on no pranks this tour. I don't really want a pink mohawk again."

Tyler chuckled, "Ah, that mohawk was funny as hell. Especially your face when you woke up with it."

"Yeah, but at least I had both eyebrows and blue lips." remarked Chris, the witch wearing a smirk as he stood up, "What did you do?"

"Sleeping pills, Nair, and a bit of time my love," Tyler said, "And I now present, the new bald Zachary Thomas!" he said, gesturing to the glaring man in the bunk behind Chris.

"I fucking hate you Tyler," the drummer hissed, his blue eyes aflame with anger, "I should fucking kill you!"

"It looks good Zach, trust me!" Tyler said, a smile on his face.

Chris cocked his head, "It actually doesn't look that bad Zach, I think Ty might have done you a favor. Think of this way, no more sweaty hair and no more wasting time in the shower to wash it."

"Never thought you could look at the bright side of things," murmured Tyler, "That Dayquil must be messing with your mind."

Chris snorted, "You have no idea, you know medicine does things to me because of my PTSD meds. Don't know why you force me to take it."

"Because you get hyper as hell," replied Tyler with a shrug, "and...its a bit funny."

"Mates, please excuse me for interrupting your lovely conversation, but I have no bloody hair!" shouted Zach.

"Yeah, well, I can't breath through my nose and I can barely hear out of my right ear, we all have our problems Zachy," replied Chris before turning and walking towards the kitchen, "I need water,"

Zach blinked, "Is he always like this on meds?"

Tyler snorted, "You think this is bad, you should see him on Nightquil. What he does is Youtube material. If he's sleep deprived and on meds, that is the best though. Last time, he was singing Bad Touch at the top of his lungs. Although, he didn't talk to me for three days after he did that."

"Why?"

"I was the one that kind of grounded up the pills and put it in the soup he was eating. He wasn't happy."

"I wonder why," drawled Zach, "And, I'm getting you back for this Nair thing."

Tyler let out a barking laugh, "I would like to see you try Zach, I would like to see you try."

* * *

Piper let out a long exhale, a futile attempt to calm her racing her heart. Beside her, Phoebe read the spell that would summon an Elder from Up There, and they would interrogate the man/woman until they got some answers. Glancing out the window, the looked at the full moon and subconsciously realized that Chris was probably just getting to bed since it was early morning in Europe about now.

"Ah, summoned again by a Halliwell, why doesn't this surprise me,"

The high pitched voice broke Piper's daydreaming.

"What do you mean?" inquired Paige.

"Your youngest nephew summoned me a few weeks ago." answered the Elder, her soft hazel eyes grew dark at the mentioning of Chris, "He was asking about your husband," she said, her gaze on Piper.

"He's no longer my husband," spat Piper.

"You two are still legally bound Piper, just because of a misunderstanding, it doesn't make it null and void."

"A misunderstanding? Is that what you think thirteen years of abuse equals to?" hissed Piper.

Phoebe put a hand on her sister's arm, "Its obvious you won't help us, but the group that Chris mentioned, is it real?"

"Yes, I told him that already," the Elder replied.

"If its so real, then why haven't we been able to find anything on it?" Paige asked.

"The Sanctus Humus hasn't been called in centuries, its possible that the books that the history was written in has been destroyed or has withered from age." explained the Elder, "The Elders have been able to take care of things."

"Unless its child abuse," snorted Piper.

"Your children should exist Piper, don't forget that."

"So that permits my son to be beaten for thirteen years?"

Phoebe sighed, "We just want a spell. A simple spell to summon them, please."

"You do know there is an Elder on the council as well?" she mused.

"The spell," snapped Piper.

"Its in Latin, the mother tongue of our language," the Elder explained, " _Regimen Concilium, Nos peto thee, Succurro nos iam, Quod carnero nos rectus,"_ She recited, "Say that and you will be transported to them."

Phoebe nodded, "Thank you,"

"Take heed Charmed Ones, come unprepared and you will not come back whole," warned the Elder, "Blessed be Charmed Ones." she murmured before orbing away.


	17. Tribulatio

Chris sat bundled in his wool jacket, his hoody underneath it, and a pair of fingerless black gloves, and the man just looked ill. His arms were wrapped loosely around his waist and his hood was up, leaving only a few blue tips visible. Beside him on the couch were his bandmates. Tyler kept an arm around Chris's shoulders, the simple gesture offering comfort but not demanding it to be taken. On the other side, Zach kept glancing at Chris - which heavily annoyed him. The only thing Chris hated more than being sick was people being worried about him because he was sick.

Chris glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall across from him and promptly frowned at the time. The interviewers were ten minutes late. With a sigh, Chris leaned back, his head resting against Tyler's arm. He felt Tyler shift slightly so Chris's head was on his bicep instead of his elbow. Chris closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. If he wanted to perform tonight he would need every ounce of energy his sick and tired body could spare.

His head snapped up a few minutes later when he heard the door squeak open. In walked two people, one a man the other a woman. Both were young, the man a short haired brunette while the girl was a long haired blonde.

"Sorry for being late," the woman said as she and her partner sat down in the couch across from Pariah, "We ran into some traffic,"

Chris nodded in understanding. "I'm Victoria, he is Rodion," she explained while the camera crew finished setting up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw a man queued the camera to start rolling and a few seconds later the man was saying something in rapid Russian. Suddenly, Victoria turned and asked to introduce themselves.

"I'm Damon," Chris said, "And I'm the guitarist and vocalist,"

"I'm Jaiden and I play the bass,"

"Zach, drums,"

"Now, Pariah is playing tonight in St. Petersburg. However, everyone knows that the Paris show was canceled because Damon was ill. Do you think it's wise to go on with the show tonight?"

"Wise, probably not," answered Chris, "but I'm well enough to perform,"

"Do you think that fans should expect a...hindered performance tonight due to be sick?" inquired Rodion.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "The Outcasts should expect to experience the same show that everyone has gotten. I've sang on a worn voice before and this won't be any different. I've performed sick and I'm just crazy, if not more, in a concert. "

Rodion nodded and fell silent.

"Now, the tabloids have been just been covered in speculations about the relationship between Damon and Jaiden," Victoria stated, "First, is there a relationship between you two?"

"Yes. Damon and I have been together for a few weeks now," replied Tyler.

Victoria nodded, a small smile on her face, " and how does this new relationship change the dynamics of the band?"

"It didn't really change anything," Tyler answered, "We're still doing whatever we did before only now we're together,"

"And, Zach, how do you feel about their relationship?" Rodion asked.

Zach shrugged, "It's just like any other relationship. Doesn't really affect me. What they do is their business not mine,"

"What about your fans? Do you think they'll take this relationship in stride?" inquired Victoria.

"I think that they don't care. They want listen to the music and have a good time " replied Zach.

"Well are you worried about the backlash you're going to get back in the states? Homosexual relationships aren't always viewed in the best of lights,"

"We'll deal with it," Tyler answered simply.

Victoria frowned, "Aren't you afraid that you'll lose fans?"

"Our fans can leave, but out Outcast family won't care," Chris lightly snapped.

Victoria leaned back as if the words slapped her, "Now, relationships in the limelight don't usually end well." she said carefully. Both Tyler and Chris's eyes narrowed. "Do you think that this band could survive a breakup?"

"Most people don't get into a relationship with the intension of breaking up. So, the thought of breaking up with Damon is the furthest thing on my mind," Tyler answered tensely.

Chris sighed and pulled down his hood. He ran a hand through his hair before saying, "Look, Jaiden and I are in a relationship. Whoever doesn't like it can go screw themselves for all I care. But I thought we were being interviewed about our music. If I wanted to give out information about our relationship, we'll go to People's magazine,"

Victoria flushed in embarrassment, "Uh, right. Well, Uh, rumors about a new music video, true?"

Chris nearly groaned at the question. It was obvious that this woman had no intension to ask them about their music. "Yes. In March we're going back to the states and film a video for A Beautiful Lie before we go on our festival/US tour,"

"Is this video going to be as grand as the other ones?" Rodion said.

"I hope so," replied Chris.

"And a new CD, any news on that?" Rodion asked.

"Hopefully sometime at the end of this year or early next I hope fit a new Pariah CD in stores." Chris said, "I've been writing some songs, but that is as far as we have gotten thus far,"

Rodion nodded and looked excited at the aspect of a new album.

"Any more questions?" Tyler asked.

"I have one for Zach," Victoria quipped, "Do you ever feel uncomfortable around Damon and Jaiden, being that they are two homosexual males?"

Zach looked at the blonde with wide eyes, "You have got to be kidding me! Just because they're gay doesn't mean they think every man is attractive. I mean, do you think every man is hot? Plus, for the record, Damon and Jaiden are bisexual, meaning they find both men and women attractive,"

"Do you ever think that if they split up, that one of them will come after you?" she asked quickly.

Chris shook his head and stood, "This interview is over. I gave you a warning but yet you keep pushing."He growled.

" I'm sorry," Victoria said her eyes wide.

Chris rolled his eyes as he open the door, Tyler and Zach behind him. "Keep a desk job, you're too much of a bitch to do face-to-face," he said before walking out the door.

* * *

Piper frowned when her call still remained unanswered, Chris's voicemail message being the only response she has gotten all morning. She couldn't help but worry for her youngest child. The slander on the entertainment channels and tabloids were getting worse by the day about his and Tyler's relationship. They wove tales about how Chris cheated on Skylar with Tyler and that their relationship was going to blow up which would result in the ending of Pariah, and the threesome story with Zach replacing Skylar in the equation were the top three. She couldn't imagine living the way her youngest son does.

With a heavy sigh, the eldest Charmed One got up for another cup of coffee. She'll try her son again in fifteen minutes.

* * *

Frowning, Chris dug in his pocket searching for his phone that has been going off since the beginning of the interview.

"Dee!"

Chris paused and turned around. Tyler was sprinting from the bus, apparently determined to go with Chris on his walk. The red-head was gasping for breath by time he reached Chris's side. "Where...are...you going?" he finally said.

"For a walk," responded Chris.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you went for a walk by yourself?"

Chris sighed, "I just want to be alone for a bit Ty, and to figure out who has been calling me, that's it. I won't go far."

Tyler narrowed his eyes, "Promise?"

"Scouts honor," Chris said with a smirk.

"I would take that, but you were never a Boy Scout."

"Eh, details." Chris replied with a shrug, "Now, can I be a big boy and take a walk by myself?"

"If you're not back in twenty minutes, I'm finding you." vowed Tyler.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Alright. I'll see you then."

"Be careful, please." Tyler said before he pecked Chris's forehead, "You should be resting. You're still sick."

"I'll rest when I get back from my walk, which would be half done if you would've let me go the first time," replied Chris.

Tyler held up his hands in defense, "Well, sorry if I'm worried about my boyfriend,"

Chris rolled his eyes, "I'll be back in twenty minutes, now go and make sure Zach isn't getting his revenge on you,"

"Shit," hissed Tyler before he turned and sprinted back to the bus, which made Chris chuckle and shake his head.

Now that his boyfriend was distracted, Chris returned his attention back to his phone. Quickly, he went to the missed call listing and swore silently. He speed-dialed the number back.

"Mom, hey." He greeted once Piper picked up the phone.

"About time," she said, "I've been calling for the past two hours,"

"Sorry, I was in an interview, what's a matter?"

"We did some research," Piper revealed, "So, it's just a matter of you coming here and getting some evidence gathered and then summoning them."

Chris blinked, "Just like that. I pop over there, we summon them, and that's it."

"What were you expecting some fancy summoning ritual or something?"

"Well, this is a big group," reasoned Chris.

Chris heard Piper sigh, and could image seeing his mother rolling her eyes at his horrific reasoning. "When can you come?"

"I'm not sure; we're busy with the tour right now,"

"Chris, you need to get your priorities straight." Piper growled.

"I can't just drop everything and do this, I have responsibilities." Chris replied.

Piper sighed, "I understand that Chris, but I think this is a bit more important than your rockstar life,"

"Mom, this so-called rockstar life is my life," bit back Chris, "I'll call you back when I find time, bye." He said before hanging up on his mother.

He let out a long, deep exhale. Apparently all the tension and hatred for running away was still within his family and their relationship with him. Chris frowned as he turned around and started to make his way back to the bus.

When he opened the door, Chris's frowned deepened when he heard the shouting match that was going on between Zach and Tyler. Chris sighed and stepped into the warzone, and held up his hands, "What the hell is going on?"

"He put shaving cream in my bunk!" shouted Tyler, a finger pointing at a gaping Zach.

"You fucking shaved off my hair with Nair!" Zach replied just as loud.

Chris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ty, you deserved it."

"What?"

"You did shave off his hair," Chris said with a small shrug, "However, I didn't realize that Zach was childish enough to evoke revenge."

"It's only fair," muttered Zach, his arms crossed.

"Fair, yes. Right-"Chris's eyes grew wide when he felt his body dissolve into small orbs against his will, and the shocked faces of Zach and Tyler were the last things he saw before he came face-to-face with his father.

* * *

"Shit," Tyler hissed.

"What…what the fuck just happened?" exclaimed Zach, his light blue eyes wide.

Tyler ignored his friend and ran to his bunk. He pushed his hand underneath his bed and pulled out an old pile of maps. "Russia, Russia, where the hell is the Russian map," he muttered under his breath he said as he shifted through the pile.

"Tyler, what is going on?" Zach asked as the red-head began to rummage through one of his drawers, the Russian map clutched in his other hand.

"Something you won't understand," replied Tyler as he pulled out a large pale purple stone hanging from a leather string.

Zach followed Tyler to the living area as he spread the map over the table. He watched as Tyler grabbed Chris's worn out copy of Dante's Inferno and began swirling the stone over the map, muttering under his breath.

"Ty, mate, what is this?"

Tyler sighed, "Witchcraft. Chris and I are witches." He said, 'Damn it, Zach can you get the other maps?"

Zach quickly did as he was told and brought the rest of the maps to Tyler. The Russian map was swiftly replaced with a world one.

"Witches…what?

"It's a long story, and I kind of have something else I need to do, like save Chris." Tyler snapped.

Zach gulped, "Where is Chris?"

"I don't know," Tyler gritted out, "Hence why I'm scrying for him.

"Scrying…what's-"

"Zach, now is not the time to play twenty questions!" Tyler yelled, slamming his hands on the table, "Chris just got fucking kidnapped by his father. So, now if you excuse me, I need to find him and save him before he fucking dies."

"…His dad would do that?"

Tyler gritted his teeth as he continued to twirl the stone over the world map. "You have no fucking clue."

* * *

Chris took a step back, "Stay the hell away from me,"

Leo chuckled, the tone low and deep, "Why would I do that? You're my son."

Chris gritted his teeth, and looked around the dark room. Faintly, he could make out the outline of a door, but besides that, there was nothing else that he could escape through. "I was never your son,"

Leo smirked, "Now, Christopher, you know it takes two people to make a child."

"What the hell do you want?" spat Chris.

"I just want to talk Chris, nothing serious." Replied Leo, the man still smiling.

"You've lost it. You've finally fucking lost it," muttered Chris, shaking his head, "Whatever, I'm getting out of here," he said, focusing on the feeling of freedom to orb away, "Why can't I orb?"

"Anti-orbing spelling, I'm not an idiot." Leo remarked, "Now, Chris, son, you've caused me some headache with those lies you told your mother and brother."

"They're not lies and you know it Leo,"

Chris gasped when he felt Leo's palm connect with his left cheek, a sharp flame of pain erupting over the skin, "I'm Dad. Not Leo. And they are lies Christopher. I didn't beat you, I merely punished you."

"I don't think breaking your son's nose is punishment." Spat Chris, a droplet of blood hitting Leo's cheek.

Leo wiped the blood from his cheek with a grimace, "I did what I had to do to rein you in Christopher."

"I did nothing wrong," growled Chris, "Now let me leave."

Chris felt the air being forced out of his lungs when his back hit the wall, his mouth open in a gasp. Next he felt a hand wrap around his throat, the fingers pressing hard enough into his flesh to bruise. Instinctually, Chris grasped Leo's wrist and attempted to pry the hand from his throat. Weakly, he released one of his hands and thrust it forward, using his power of telekinesis to fling his father to the other side of the room. Chris collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath. Chris tried to push himself back up on his legs so he could bolt from the room, but his shaky limbs couldn't seem to hold his weight. The next thing he knew, he was on his side, Leo's foot embedded repeatedly into his stomach. Chris curled in on himself, desperate to save his stomach from the abuse. However, the kicks didn't feel too good on his forearms either.

Glancing up, Chris focused on his father's body once again, and sent him flying. Leo hit the wall hard and fell to the ground with a groan. Hurriedly, Chris pushed himself up and forced his legs to work. He stumbled to the door and gave it a hard yank. Nothing. Cursing under his breath, he tried again, using every ounce of energy in his worn body. It didn't budge.

A deep chuckle made Chris freeze. "It's locked Christopher," Leo said, standing.

Chris growled, "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"Because Christopher, when are you going to realize that you weren't supposed to be born?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Well between you and the Elders, I'm well informed of my mistaken existence."

Leo smirked, "Then you should understand why I have to do what I do."

"You never had to do anything that you've done, and you know it" hissed Chris.

"You're the way you are because of me Christopher."

"What? Messed up in the fucking head, always looking over his shoulder for his father to deliver the last blow? A kid so strung up with stress that he ran away from his family? A kid that's afraid of the damn dark? Yes, Dad thank you oh so much for making me achieve so much," Chris spat.

"I made you successful Christopher," Leo stated, "And yet, you are nothing but a sarcastic little fairy."

Chris narrowed his eyes, "You've done nothing,"

Once again, Chris found himself on the ground. His father straddled him and continuously punching him. Chris gasped, his mouth quickly becoming filled with blood. Struggling, Chris tried to block the fists, but was failing.

Chris got a moment of relief when he felt his father suddenly fly. Turning to his side, Chris groaned and spat out the blood in his mouth. "Chris,"

Weakly, Chris lifted his head and gave a small smile to his savior. "Hey Ty, saving my ass again, huh?"

Tyler chuckled, "Yeah. When are you going to learn to take care of yourself?"

"I'll get around to it," replied Chris, "maybe,"

Tyler smiled and wipe a bit of blood from Chris's chin, "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, he didn't break my le-Ty, watch out!"

Chris watched as Tyler got hit with a bolt of lightning. The man let out a yelp of pain before slumping to the side, his face contorted in a grimace of pain. "Tyler," Chris gasped.

"Damn witch, always hated that kid. Annoying."

Chris glared at his father, the man standing with his hand still outstretched. "You bastard," Chris hissed as he pushed himself up. He glared at his father before looking at his hand with a frown. So far, he's only has used telekinesis against his father, but – Chris returned his gaze to his father – and with an angry growl a flame erupted around his left hand.

Leo took a step back, "Pyrokinesis…what?"

"You should know that powers some time skip generations Leo," Chris replied smirking, "Apparently, the Powers to Be deemed the Halliwell family ready to have this power again. For once, they did something right." He took a step forward, his eyes narrowed on his target, "I'll give you once chance Leo, leave and never come back or you will find out what Hell is really like."

Leo bared his teeth and shot his hands forward, a bolt of lightning coming from the palm. Chris dove to side, wincing when he fell on his battered abdomen. Chris pushed his hand forward, a pillar of fire launching from his hand. Leo maneuvered to the side and watched as the thick orange-red flames stretch along the stone wall.

"God," groaned Tyler, pushing himself up, the man shaking his head slightly.

"Ty, get down!" shouted Chris as he threw another fire pillar at Leo, it going right over Tyler's body.

"Please don't set me on fire Chris,"

Chris smirked, "I'll try. But you know, you could help a bit. Think you could work on the door?" He asked as he continued to battle with his father.

Tyler nodded and rushed over to it. He ignored the loud cracks of thunder that came from Leo's electokinesis and the soft grunts that came from Chris every time he sent his Pyrokinesis at his father. He frowned as he hovered his hand over the light grain wood, a soft hum of energy gently pushing against it. The feeling only increased when he moved the hand over the brass handle.

Tyler closed his eyes and focused on the side of his biology that he didn't like to use. When he opened his eyes, ruby red irises replaced his usual honeysuckle ones. He curled his hand slightly, the palm hovering just a mere few centimeters. Slowly, a few soft, dark green wisps came from it. "Melt," he hissed, the acid eating the metal slowly.

Tyler growled when he heard Chris yelp in pain, it followed by a thud. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder, his human side telling him that if he did, he would so angry that he would lose the weak grasp he had on his humanity right now. "You okay Chris?" he called out.

"Peachy," bit back Chris.

Tyler sighed and watched as the brass melt, it was barely halfway. Narrowing his eyes, he willed his weak power to strengthen and quicken. A few minutes later, Tyler smiled as the last drop of brass fell to the ground. Tyler stood up and kicked the door, the wood door flinging open. "Chris!" Turning, Tyler gasped.

Chris stood, holding his side, a large gash on the side of it bleeding freely. Bruises and cuts dotted the man's skin. Across from him was his father, the blond's skin decorated with burns and gashes. "Chris, come on, the doors open."

Chris didn't move. It was as if he and Leo were in some staring match. Slowly, Chris smirked. "Idiot" he muttered and with a slight narrowing of his eyes, Leo was once again flung backwards. A loud crack echoed in the room, the man falling to the ground limply. The only thing that told Chris that Leo was still alive was the wheezy breathing.

Chris turned toward the door and limped towards his boyfriend, the man's eyes once again hazel. Tyler gently wrapped an arm underneath Chris's armpits as he aided the man out of the room. "Do you think you can stay conscious until we get back to the bus," he inquired Chris as he led the bleeding man down a long hallway.

"You still haven't memorized that spell yet? You would think after all these times, you would." Chris remarked lightly, "and it matters on how big this anti-orbing spell is."

"It's more than an anti-orbing spell," muttered Tyler, "I could shimmer in, but I couldn't shimmer out, hence why we're walking."

Chris blinked, "Forgot you could…shimmer." Slurred Chris.

"Shit," swore Tyler as he quickened his pace, "Please stay awake Chris. Come on, keep those eyes open."

"Easier said than done," replied Chris.

Tyler continued to mutter random nonsense in an attempt to keep Chris awake. His heart leapt in joy when he felt the weight of the anti-orb/anti-shimmer spell lifting off of his shoulders. Without a second thought, he shimmered.


	18. Advoco

Tyler stumbled slightly when he reformed in the tourbus. He glanced at Chris and cursed when he saw the man on the brink of going unconscious. He snapped his head up when he heard a soft gasp. Standing in the doorway between the bunks and the living area was Zach, the man's blue eyes wide as they took in Chris's injuries.

"Go to the bathroom and get some damp rags," ordered Tyler as he walked to the bunk area.

He gently set Chris on the bunk and brushed some damp bangs away from Chris's face. "You need to stay awake Chris. You need to say the spell"

"Get," Chris gasped, "Photos."

Tyler blinked, 'Photos? Why?"

"Mom, said I, needed evidence." Replied Chris," What better evidence, is there, then photos?"

"Chris, you need-"

"Just do it Ty,"

Sighing, Tyler stood up and began rummaging in Chris's drawers, looking for the digital camera that should be somewhere underneath all the t-shirts the man owned. Finally, he found the small dark red camera and turned. Quickly, he snapped shots of Chris's broken nose, gashes and bruises, mainly the ones on his ribs where Leo kicked him repeatedly.

"That should be good," murmured Tyler as he shove the camera into his pocket.

"Here,"

Tyler looked up and took the small bowl of water and the cloth from Zach, "Thanks,"

Zach gulped, "Did…did his father do this to him?"  
Tyler frowned but nodded as he rubbed the cloth over Chris's face, an attempt to get the man lucid enough to say the power transferring spell. "Come on Chris."

Chris opened his eyes, the irises fogged over as blood loss and pain slowly zapping his energy away. " _What mine is yours, what yours is mine, Let our powers cross the line, I offer my gift to share, Switch our powers through the air,"_

The two witches gasped as their powers left them and entered each other. Tyler quickly placed his hands over Chris's heart and soon, the glow came the wounds slowly began knitting themselves together. Soon, Tyler was hovering his hands over his boyfriend's face and watched as the nose fixed itself and the blood stopped flowing before disappearing completely. A few seconds later, a fully healed Chris lay on his bed, the man's eyes closed as he took in some breaths before repeating the spell to put the powers in their rightful places.

"You okay?" Tyler asked as he helped Chris sit up.

Chris nodded but held his head in his hand, "Yeah, but I'm guessing Zach knows right?" he whispered, his eyes looking at the drummer with apprehension.

"Just that we're witches, nothing more." Replied Tyler.

Sighing, Chris stood and motioned that Tyler and Zach should follow to the living area. Chris slid into the booth, Tyler beside him while Zach sat across from them.

"So, what has Ty told you so far?" inquired Chris.

"Just that you two are witches and that your father seems to want to kill you." Answered Zach.

Chris exhaled and began, "Yes, my father wants to kill me, but that's beside the point. He'll be dealt with soon. I just want to make sure you're not freaking out about this lovely revelation."

"I think I'm in shock," muttered Zach.

Chris rolled his eyes, "I can only imagine. Questions?"

"How…I don't even know where to start…" Zach sighed, "What happened there? A glow came from Tyler and he…like healed all your wounds."

"That was healing, and it's my power. The little poem thing I said before that, that was a spell." Answered Chris.

"Wait powers?...Do all witches have powers?"

"Yes, I have many because I'm a hybrid and so is Tyler."

"Hybrids…" Zach groaned, "So you're just not witches?"

"I'm a witch and an Elder, they're like…angels of sorts, I guess. They kind of govern the magical world. Tyler is half-witch and half-demon."

"Demon, so Tyler is…evil?"

Chris shook his head, "No, its just…his heritage. Its like, just because you're Irish, you're not going to be a drunkard, or any other stereotype. Just because I have an "angel's" blood in me, doesn't mean I can't be evil, I mean, I got that blood from my father and you see how he turned out."

Zach sighed, "So alright. You are an angel and a witch, and Tyler is a demon and a witch, and you both have insane powers."

"Well, I think insane is a bit much," Tyler reasoned, "Look Zach, its not like we're going to wake up one morning and sacrifice you to some Wiccan God or something. We're the same people we were when you met us, only…more…different."

"Yeah, but Tyler, being two runaways with fake names is different than being superhuman beings!" exclaimed Zach, "What else can you do, I mean, besides healing or whatever."

Tyler ran a hand through his hair, "Besides the usual witch powers, spellcasting, scrying, potion making, I can shimmer, which is a type of transportation, well, here let me show you." Closing his eyes, Tyler shimmered and reformed seconds later on the other side of Chris, "I also can do telekinesis, which I can move things with my mind, I have a weak form of premonition but it really sucks, it more like, a gut-feeling most of the time, or I'll dream of stuff but usually it's so far in the future that it never comes true, so that power is practically useless. I have Pyrokinesis, which is I can control and conjure fire, and I can form energy balls."

Zach turned his gaze to Chris.

"Like Ty, I have the three usual witch powers, and I have a form of transportation known as orbing," to prove his point he orbed and reappeared in his same spot, "I also have telekinesis and Pyrokinesis, but I also have cyrokinsis, which is like pyrokinsis only with ice and water. I have healing, which you saw. I also can sense people of my kin and those who I'm close with, like Tyler. I can turn invisible, molecular combustion,"

"He means he can blow things up," interrupted Tyler, "What? Not all of us can understand big words Chrissie," he clarified when he saw Chris's glare.

"Anyways, I can also slow molecules down, or freeze them. I also have empathy, which is I can feel other people's emotions and if I wanted to, and if they were witches, use their powers against them. Although, considering I haven't used that power since I've ran away, I would probably just end up falling to the ground in as an emotional mess."

"Why do you have more powers than Tyler?" inquired Zach.

"My powers were passed on from my family to me." Chris elaborated, "So were Ty's."

"So, your whole family…are witches."

"That, or some other magical creature," answered Tyler, "Like one of Chris's uncles is a Cupid, but another is a mortal, or a non-magical person."

"Wait, cupids are real?"

Chris frowned, "Most fantasy creatures from books and fairy tales are Zach. Hence why witches are here. We protects mortals from them. Keep the evil ones from killing mortals and such."

"So, you two are like superheroes…"

Tyler shrugged, "If you want to look at it that way."

"And those…vitamins you take in the morning, they aren't vitamins are they?"

Chris shook his head, "I take a potion to dim my Empathy so I'm not trying to kill myself when I enter an arena with over a thousand excited people. Tyler takes a potion to…calm his demon side down."

"Demon side. I thought you said he wasn't evil."

"He's not," Chris pressed, "But," he sighed as he thought over his words, "Demons weren't supposed to mate with humans. So when they do, they usually have two sides, their human side and their demon side. Most of the time, it usually works out okay, usually the demon side is so diluted that it blends in with the human side and they might just be more angry at times, have a short fuse, that kind of thing. But, Tyler is a special case. He has a distinct demon side. If he gets angry, he usually goes into a rage. So, he takes this potion so it helps him keep control of his demon side so he won't snap whenever something happens. It's more of a precaution than anything. Tyler dealt with his demon side through seventeen years; we just want to make sure that the magical world isn't exposed through us. Hence all the secrecy and stuff."

Zach sighed and pinched the side of his nose, "I just-"

"You just what?" inquired Tyler.

"I just can't wrap my mind around this…" Zach sighed and stood, "I need to think about this," he stated before going to his cot, however he paused in the threshold between the two areas, he said "I called the arena and canceled the show for tonight. Figured you wouldn't be in the mood to perform tonight."

Chris sighed, "I hope we don't have to look for another drummer after this."

"I think it will be fine," replied Tyler, "I think he's just trying to understand all of this. We just did kind of gave me a pile of information and went, "Here, have fun with this"".

Chris shook his head, "I guess we'll see."

Wrapping an arm around Chris's shoulder, Tyler pulled Chris close, "So, what did you mean your father is going to be dealt with soon?"

"I got a call from my Mom, apparently she has everything to summon the group, but we need evidence, which was why I told you to take the photos."

Tyler ran his hand though Chris's hair, "Which took long enough for you to almost slip into unconsciousness, which would've screwed you over."

Chris snorted, "You really should learn the spell."

Leaning down, Tyler placed his forehead on Chris's, "I'm hoping that soon there won't be a reason why I need to learn the spell."

Chris closed his eyes, "If it's not Leo, it will be a demon."

"They're still in chaos down there." Replied Tyler.

Opening his eyes, Chris looked into Tyler's eyes, "Yeah, but for how long? It won't be forever Ty, I hope you realize that."

"You always have to be a downer dear?" mused Tyler, a small smirk on his lips, "Can't you just live life? Enjoy? Be happy? I dunno, kiss me? Whatever floats your boat."

Chris rolled his eyes but leaned up nonetheless and kissed Tyler deeply, his hands coming up to cup his boyfriend's face. He felt Tyler's tongue scrap across his, and he gave in and opened his mouth. Tyler placed his hand on Chris's waist and one on his cheek as he continued to passionately kiss the man. They only released each other for a mere gasp of breath before divulging each other again. Soon, Tyler detached himself from Chris's lips and moved onto the neck, nipping and sucking, leaving his marks for the world to see. He felt Chris clench his hand in his hair as soft, almost silence moans came from the vocalist's lips.

"Ty," gasped Chris.

"What?" mumbled Tyler as he continued to move down Chris's neck.

"Do you think we should be," he clenched his eyes shut as Tyler began suckling the crevice where his shoulder and neck met, "doing this just after we told our biggest secret to our drummer?"

Standing straight, Tyler smirked, "I don't see why not." He replied before leaning in to kiss Chris again, the man willing to follow.

Gently, Tyler made Chris lay down on the booth, the bassist's hands making quick work of Chris's button up coat. Flinging it open, Tyler ran his hand up Chris's plain black shirt, his hand cool against Chris's warm skin. "You're still running a small fever," Tyler murmured against Chris's jawbone.

"Do you really think I care at this moment?" growled Chris.

"Do you think I do?" replied Tyler, the man nipping the skin behind Chris's earlobe, making the vocalist gasp.

"Bunk now." Chris weakly ordered.

Tyler smirked, "Aw, love, why not the booth?"

"Because,  _dear_ , the last time we tried, you hit every body part on the table. I would hate to see you hurt…or hear you whine again," replied Chris, "So, bunk. Now."

Tyler chuckled and dove in for one more passionate kiss. "Fine, have it your way." He said as he nuzzled Chris's neck.

Chris smirked and wrapped his arms around Tyler's neck, "Don't I always?" he said, before giving Tyler a sweet kiss, "So, if you want to do anything tonight, we should go to the bunk now."

Tyler smiled, "Who am I to deny such a wonderful offer?" he said as he stood and stretched out a hand, "Let's depart so I can have my wicked way with you."

Chris raised an eyebrow as he took the hand, "Who said I'm not going to have my way with you?"

Tyler placed his forehead on Chris's, "I always enjoy a battle Halliwell."

"Well, Larson, I'll have you know, I've never lost a battle before,"

"That shall all soon change."

"Well, let's see how good you're in the sack first before we make any assumptions  _dear_ ," Chris said before pecking Tyler's lips and then leading the red-head to the bunk area.

Chris groaned when his back hit the wall beside the bunks, Tyler's mouth nipping and sucking on his neck. Reaching up, Chris entangled his hands into Tyler's long, straggly hair. He pulled the man up so he could give the man a passionate kiss. He gently kicked off the wall and pushed Tyler into the one across from them. Chris put a hand next to Tyler's head as he began placing a trail of kisses down Tyler's neck, the half-demon moaning as Chris paid close attention to the man's pulse.

Tyler grabbed Chris's t-shirt and pulled him flush to him. The two men groaned when their bodies, and their arousals, made contact with each other. Chris leaned up and roughly attached their lips together, ignoring the pang of pain coming from their teeth clashing and their nose bumping. He felt Tyler peel off his coat and chuck it somewhere. Soon, Tyler's hands were under his shirt and on his side, his thumbs rubbing soft circles into his skin as he kissed Chris with fervor.

Chris moved forward, his leg in-between Tyler's. Chris released Tyler from the kiss and quickly pulled off Tyler's shirt and tossed it aside. Reaching up, Chris cupped Tyler's cheek and brought him into another kiss. Tyler's hands clenched at Chris's side as Chris dove into Tyler's mouth with his tongue. Lifting his knee up, Chris added pressure onto Tyler's erection. Tyler quickly broke the kiss and let out a shuddering gasp, his eyes clenched as Chris began to move his knee back and forth.

"God..damn it…" he breathed, his head falling back.

Chris smirked and leaned forward and began attacking the exposed neck with butterfly kisses as he made a slick trail up to the half-demon's ear, "Like that?"

"Fuck…you," Tyler growled before he grabbed Chris's face and bashed their lips together. Slowly, Tyler forced Chris back and into the bunks. Tyler smirked when he saw Chris laying on the bottom bunk, flushed and breathing heavily. He licked his lips when Chris pulled off his shirt and laid it aside.

He leaned down and entered the bunk. Softly, he kissed Chris, his boyfriend's hands coming up and cupping his face as he eased the curtain closed. Once he had the red velvet screen shut, Tyler placed a hand on each of side of Chris's face and slowly lowered himself down. He felt Chris's hands on his back, the callused fingertips barely ghosting over his skin.

Chris gasped as Tyler began kissing his jawbone, and one of his thumbs ran over one of his nipples. He felt Tyler smirk and a second later; the thumb was continuously rubbing over the perked nub. Chris moved his hands from Tyler's back to the man's front, his fingertips tracing the contours of Tyler's abs. By now, Tyler was attack Chris's collarbone. Chris's hands slid lower. With a small flick, Tyler's pants button was undone and the zipper was down.

"Eager, aren't we, love?" Tyler whispered, his eyes peering up from Chris's pectorals, the trails of kisses interrupted.

"I was never known for my patience," remarked Chris, and to prove his point, bucked up. They both groaned at the brief contact.

Tyler's hand left Chris's side and started to take off his own pants. Soon they were discarded and Tyler was left in his black boxers. Next, the half-demon unzipped Chris's pants and tore them off and chucked them. Sitting up, Tyler smirked.

Chris narrowed his eyes. Then, a slow smirk appeared on the Halliwell's lips.

Tyler gasped when he felt his boxers leave, his erection hitting the cool air expectantly.

"Thought it would be faster to orb them away." Chris said with a shrug before he lifted his hand to wrap about Tyler's neck. He brought Tyler down into a passionate kiss. The two men groaned as their bodies melted into each other, their erections rubbing together on the side.

Chris let out a loud moan when he felt Tyler wrap a hand around his erection, the half-demon slowly pumping the pulsating organ. Tyler smirked before he attached his lips to Chris's again, his hand continuing the motion. Reach the head, Tyler slid a finger over the slit, it moist with pre-cum. He felt Chris arc underneath him, but the Halliwell didn't break the kiss, but Tyler did. "Lube?" he whispered.

"Under…neath the bed," Chris gasped.

Tyler gave Chris a peck before leaning over and searched for the small tube. Finding it, he returned to his aroused boyfriend.  
"Miss me?" Tyler said with a smirk.

"Screw you," Chris spat.

Holding the bottle up, Tyler grinned, "I believe it will be I who will be screw you love."

"I don't exactly care at the moment, just fucking do something," growled Chris as he grabbed the lube. He placed a large glob into his hand and smirked at Tyler. Reaching out, he roughly grabbed Tyler's penis, making the man let out a shuttering breath. He began pumping the erection, spreading the lubrication over it. Tyler leaned back, his head resting on the wall behind him, his fist in his mouth as he bit into it. He bucked his hips into the motion, desperate to continue the feeling.

He moaned when he felt Chris's hand leave his erection. He felt the slick hand grab his wrist before he felt his fingers in Chris's mouth, Chris' tongue swirling around them, coating them in saliva. With a loud pop, Chris pulled the fingers out of his mouth. Chris smirked at Tyler, the man looking at his fingers with astonishment before wide hazel eyes slid over to him. Tyler smiled and leaned down to kiss Chris again.

Slowly, he inserted his finger into Chris's hole, stretching the ring of muscle slightly. Chris groaned and arc towards Tyler. Tyler chuckled as he began pumping in and out of Chris with his finger. When he felt the hole widen around one finger, he inserted another. Chris winced the slight pang of pain from it. However, he was quickly distracted by Tyler began kissing the side of his neck. "God, Ty,"

Tyler smirked against Chris's skin and started scissoring his finger, stretching Chris further. A loud moan left Chris's throat as he felt Tyler continued his ministrations. Soon, a third finger was introduced. Tyler smiled at the noises that came from his vocal boyfriend. He felt Chris pushing back against his fingers, obviously wanting more.

Chris whimpered slightly when Tyler withdrew his fingers. Leaning down, Tyler gave Chris a sweet but passionate kiss. "You ready?"

Chris nodded, "Hurry up,"

Tyler smiled and positioned himself, his head just gracing Chris's hole. Slowly, Tyler pushed himself in, watching his boyfriend's face for any hint of pain.

Chris inhaled sharply when he felt Tyler slowly enter him, his hands curling into the sheets. The burn was both painful and pleasurable. "God Chris," breathed Tyler, "Oh God, you're…fucking…tight."

Chris arced up but his hips stayed in placed due to Tyler's hands. "God Ty, just shove it in there!"

Tyler looked at Chris for a second before withdrawing from his nearly completely. He took a deep breath and then plunged himself into Chris, the two witches moaning loudly.

Tyler leaned forward, his forehead resting on Chris's shoulder. Both men were heaving as the two men felt jolts of pleasure flowing through them by being completely entwined together.

"Ty…as much as I love this….if you don't move soon, I'm going to fucking kill you," muttered Chris.

Tyler chuckled and pecked the shoulder he was leaning on before he began thrusting in and out of Chris. Tyler moaned as he built up a rhythm. Chris was groaning as pushing back onto Tyler's thrust.

Pulling out, Tyler changed his angle slightly and pushed himself back in.

Chris nearly screamed when he felt Tyler hit his prostate. Chris arced up into Tyler and moaned, "God Ty, there. Again."

Tyler complied and began thrusting, hitting Chris's prostate almost every time. Chris groaned and kept pleading for more. "God, Ty, I'm close." Chris breathed.

"Me too, love, me too." Tyler gasped. When he felt Chris's walls tense, he leaned down and crashed his lips into Chris's, and with one final thrust, he felt Chris's semen splatter on his stomach. Another thrust into the tight hole and Tyler moaned into Chris's shoulder as he climaxed into Chris's cavern.

The two men stayed as they were their breaths rapid and labored, their hearts hammering in their chest. Leaning up slightly, Tyler smiled and gently kissed Chris. He felt Chris lift a hand and cup his cheek, making him stay there and make the sensual, languid kiss last.

Chris smiled when he felt Tyler withdraw from the kiss. He grimaced when he felt Tyler's flaccid cock slide out of him. Tyler leaned over and laid next to Chris, his hand resting on Chris's stomach. "Did I hurt you?"

Chris snorted, "Kind of hard not to when it comes to this Ty,"

Tyler reached up and smooth back some of Chris's bi-colored hair, "Just try not to walk with a limp tomorrow,"

Chuckling, Chris turned and smiled at his lover, "I remember to say that after I get back at you."

"Can't wait," Tyler replied and leaned up and pecked Chris's lips.

"What?" Chris said when he noticed Tyler staring.

"I…"

"You…."

"I love you," Tyler whispered, his hand cupping Chris's cheek.

Chris chuckled and shook his head, "Tyler,"

"I understand-"

Tyler's words were interrupted by Chris's lips. A few seconds later, Chris broke the kiss, "Love you too,"

Tyler smiled and kissed Chris again. "I wonder if Zach was wearing his Ipod," Chris murmured when they broke the kiss.

Tyler laughed, "If he wasn't before, he is now."

Chris chuckled and gently pushed Tyler, "Get clean up while I change bunks, there's no way in Hell I'm sleeping in this bunk after we had sex."

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Picky, I mean, it's not like its anything we didn't play with."

"Go Tyler, before I revoke my feelings."

Tyler scoffed "Like I let you live them down now,"

Chris smirked, 'Wouldn't be you if you did," he said before he pulled Tyler into another sensual kiss.

* * *

Chris sighed the next morning, his hand holding the camera and flicking through the photos there were taken the last night. "I…"

Tyler frowned as he turned from pouring two mugs of coffee. Zach was still asleep, that or still avoiding the two witches. "You what?"

"Is it weird that I can't believe that I look like that?" asked Chris, the man looking at the photo of his face with a grimace.

Tyler shrugged, "It's not like you saw yourself after the beatings regularly…right?"

Chris shook his head. Disgusted by what he saw, he turned off the camera and set it aside. "That isn't going to be enough. This was just one isolated event, and a recent one. There's no real proof here that said that he did that five years earlier."

"It shows that he is capable of beating the shit out of you," Tyler answered as he placed a mug in front of Chris, "So have you figured out a time when we can do this? The quicker we get Leo dealt with ,the better."

Running a hand through his hair, Chris mentally went through the next few weeks. "Two days. We have a day off when we're supposed to fly to Japan for a show."

Tyler nodded, "Alright."

* * *

"When is this going to happen?" Phoebe asked.

Piper looked up from her breakfast and looked at her younger sister, her youngest sister sitting next to Phoebe as they ate their breakfast while the kids were out and the husbands were at work.

"Chris said on Thursday," replied Piper, "He's going to orb over early in the morning, and we'll summon them."

"Should we worry about what the Elder said?" inquired Paige.

Piper shrugged, "He said that he has some evidence, I don't know what he was talking about, but…we'll see I guess."

"Well, I hope its good evidence, I like being whole thank you very much," Paige replied.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Calm down Paige, it's not like the council is going to chop off your arm or something."

"Hey! You never know with magical people." Paige snapped, "Not coming back whole could mean, you lose a limb."

Piper sighed, "Hey, girls. Let's just eat breakfast and not kill each other, please? Jeez, you're as bad as the kids."

And the two Halliwell girls being the mature women they were, promptly turned and stuck out their tongues at their older sister.

* * *

"Zach!" Chris called out after their make-up show in Paris, "Please, stop."

The drummer slowed down, "What?"

Frowning, Chris looked at the British man, "Well, you've been ignoring Ty and me for the past day."

"Yeah, but I also had a bloody bombshell dropped on me too," snapped Zach as he slammed open the door leading to the bus parking lot.

Chris sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "and I understand that, but…we just want to know. We only have a week and a half left of this tour…do we need to look for a new drummer for the US tour?"

Zach looked at Chris, the man's green eyes looking at him with worry and concern. He knew the underlying question under the facade of a business one. Exhaling slowly, Zach looked at Chris. "I'm not leaving, just...give me a few days to wrap my mind around this, 'kay?"

Chris nodded, "We can manage that. But, you'll have to take the plane trip to Japan by yourself tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Ty and I are going to the US and…dealing with my father." Replied Chris.

"Meaning?"

Glancing around and noticing the people around, Chris gestured to the bus, 'I'm sure Ty can manage the fans for a bit longer." He said as he opened the door.

Once inside Chris told Zach about the magical council and how they were hoping to get Leo prosecuted for abusing Chris for so long.

"Well, mate, sincerely, I hope this go well for you," Zach said as he placed a comforting hand on Chris's shoulder, "If anyone deserves to be punished, it would be your old man."

Chris gave Zach a small smile, "I just hope it doesn't blow up in my face."

"If it does, I'm sure Tyler and your family will make sure that man burns in Hell," Zach replied with a shrug.

Chris rolled his eyes, "I think burning in Hell would pale in comparison in what they would do to him."

Zach chuckled, "I'm sure it will be fine, mate. Now, go save your boyfriend from the fans before they rip him apart."

"If I must," Chris sighed dramatically as he headed for the door, but at the last moment he turned towards Zach and smiled, "Thanks Zach."

Zach smirked and waved the man away, "Stupid idiot." He said fondly as he shook his head and then headed to the bathroom. He really needed to stop sweating so much.

* * *

Reforming in the manor's living room, Chris sighed and looked around. It was if it was void of life. "Mom? Wy?" he called out.

"In the attic!" he heard his mother scream from upstairs.

"Go up, I have to get something in my room," Chris told Tyler.

"What?" Tyler inquired, "You haven't been in that room for five years, what on Earth would you have in there that you would need now?"

"Something" replied Chris, "Now go. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Tyler frowned but did as he was told nonetheless.

When he entered his room, he smirked at how it was still same as it was when he left five years ago, which was a good thing, because it meant that what he was looking for should still be in the same place that he left it. The man knelt in front of his bed and pushed the padding up. There lodged between the metal and wall was a leather bound book…and his only hope of convince the council of the deeds his father did to him for thirteen years.

* * *

"Are we ready?" Piper asked when her youngest son entered the room.

Chris looked around and raised an eyebrow at his whole family, "I guess I would be foolish enough to think it would only be Wy and Mom tagging along," he murmured.

"Yep," Paige quipped, "Like we wouldn't come along. Who do you think we are?"

"My crazy family?" Chris answered with a smirk.

"You…are a brat," Paige rebutted with a frown.

Chris chuckled before sobering, "Can we just get this over with?"

Piper nodded and held up the paper and with her sisters chanted the spell. On the third completion, the family felt their insides shift and their surroundings quickly changed. When they settled, they found themselves in a room that the Charmed Ones vaguely remembered that the Tribunal met, only it was bigger and had a large, long table on one side. Cold eyes looked at them. Turning around, they saw a pair of tables, with a set of chairs.

"Who called us?" a booming voice called out.

Their heads snapped to the front. A man with silver hair stood from his seat in the middle of the council, his thick gold robes hiding his body shape. His dark brown eyes were narrowed on the Halliwell clan. Sighing, Chris took a step forward, "The Charmed Ones, on my behalf, Elder." He stated.

The Elder's eyes snapped to the youngest Halliwell male, "And your name would be?"

"Christopher Halliwell."

"Ah, the youngest son of Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt," muttered the Elder.

Chris nodded, "That is I."

"Why have you called us?" a high pitched voice came from the far right, a wood nymph standing.

"We…I wish to prosecute my father on abuse charges."  
"And who did he abuse child?" the nymph inquired.

"He abused me from the age of three until I ran away at the age of sixteen,"

The Elder sighed and sat down, "You do realize that there are no laws governing how an Elder treats his child, because an Elder should have never procreate correct?"

"That still doesn't give-" A glare from her son quieted Piper, the woman looking at her youngest son with worry.

"Yes, I realize that and have been told numerous times. However, I believe that he should be brought forward anyways, because if he can do this to his own flesh and blood, who says that he won't do it to his charges?" Chris said with a raised eyebrow.

"So, you are saying you are not bringing this forward because you believe you've been wronged, but for the worry of others?" A human said, his long pointy hat telling Chris that the man was a wizard.

"Yes," answered Chris, "although I would be lying if I didn't want some justice for what he did to me."

The Elder sighed, "I don't see how we can proceed without a law."

"We must govern by morals and insight," a young woman said, her icy blue eyes looking at the Elder who was sitting directly left of her, "the very foundation of law."

"But Ellen, you do realize the repercussion of this?" the Elder stated.

Ellen looked at the Elder, "We shall judge this case not of it being between an Elder and a child, but between a parent and a child, nothing more and nothing less. I believe that is the only way we can deliver justice today Alan."

Alan looked at the woman before sighing, "Alright, we shall proceed. Matthew," the Elder called out. In a cloud of orbs, a middle-aged man appeared beside Alan, "go retrieve Leo Wyatt…and then we can continue our trial."


	19. Somnium

Chris sat in a seat in the middle of his family. On his direct left were his mother and brother, and on his right were Tyler and his Uncle Henry. The Halliwell clan were awaiting for Leo to be brought here so the trial could proceed but as the seconds ticked by, Chris's heart began to pick up pace, and the others' nervousness was beginning to hit their apexes.

In a shower of struggling blue orbs, Leo reformed. Matthew had a firm grip on the blond's elbow.

"What is going on?" Leo barked, his eyes flashing to his family for a brief moment before looking at the council before him.

The Elder frowned before standing, "Leo Wyatt, you are being prosecuted by Christopher Halliwell on the charge of physical and mental abuse from the time he was three until the age of sixteen, do you understand the charge?"

"This is bull-"

"Do you understand the charge, or not?" spat a man cloaked in black.

Leo nodded

"And how do you plead?" The Elder inquired.

"Not Guilty, I never laid a hand on him." Leo rebuked.

The Elder nodded as he took Leo's testament and sat back down. "Now, I will introduce the council. I am Alan, an Elder."

"Ellen, and I am a witch, although I've been dead for at least a century." The woman said with a smile.

"I am Marcus, and I am an Angel of Death, one of the two neutral powers on the council," said the man cloaked in black.

"I am Sunflower, and I am a wood nymph." Responded the nymph from her before, her voice soft compared to the rough grit of the Marcus's.

"Raindrop, and I am a water nymph," introduced a young looking woman, her bright blue eyes sparkling as she sat next to Sunflower.

"I am Helen, and I am an Angel of Destiny, and I am the other neutral power," a middle-aged woman said softly, her spot being next to the Elder on his left.

"I am Merlin, and I am obviously a wizard, although I am dead like Ellen." The wizard said with a chuckle.

"Seamus is my name, and I am a Leprechaun," a strong Irish voice came from the far left.

"And I am Thorn, and I am an Elf."

"And we will be the ones to govern over this area and will give a ruling," explained the Elder, the man the clear leader of the council, "once we give a ruling, the losing party but fulfill it or risk further punishment. Do both parties understand the conditions?" Seeing both men nod, Alan settled back into the seat. "Alright, Leo, do you wish to call upon anyone to help plead your case?"

"I have no one," Leo replied, the man sending a small glare at his family.

"Alright then, Christopher," Alan settled back as if he was getting ready to hear a long story, "Why do you bring this case to us now and not say, five years ago when you were sixteen?"

"I didn't know this council existed until a few months ago," responded Chris.

Alan nodded, "And what evidence do you have about this abuse?"

Chris dug in his coat pocket and withdrew the leather bound book, "My journal and then photos from a recent attack on my life."

Ellen sat up, "Recent? How recent?"

"Three days ago," answered Chris, "He magically summoned me and assaulted me and nearly killed me."

Alan leaned forward, "May we see these photos?"

Chris gestured towards Tyler, who got up and handed the photos to the Elder. "Was there anyone there who witnessed this attack?"

"My boyfriend was,"

"And that is who?"

"That is me, sir," Tyler stated, "Tyler Larson."

The Elder nodded as he handed the photos to Ellen, "What did you see?"

"Uh, Chris and I were on the bus with our friend, Zachary, and mid-sentence he left in an orb. By time I found him, I-"

"How did you find him?" Marcus asked.

"I scryed for him."

"So you are a witch," Alan stated.

Tyler nodded.

"Continue," instructed the Elder.

"Well, I found him in a dungeon thing and by time I got there, he was already put beaten up. His lip was busted and so was his nose. When I arrived, Leo was on top of Chris, repeatedly hitting him."

A soft sob left Piper and slowly, Chris reached over and grasped her hand, giving her all the support he could at the moment.

"Where there any other moments like this?" asked Ellen, "An attack while you've been away from your family?"

"There was one other attempt a few months ago while we were in Poland," Tyler answered.

"And what happened during that attack Christopher?"

Chris sighed, "Leo punched me and kicked me, and then…stabbed me in my stomach." Chris felt his mother hitch in breath before her shoulder's began shaking as she continued to weep.

"And are those it? Those two attacks?" Ellen asked.

Chris nodded, 'Yes."

"Alright," Alan sighed and looked at Leo, "We will take this into consideration when reviewing the abuse evidence. Is the journal the only piece of evidence you have?"

Chris nodded, "He was rather adamant in covering his marks, sir"

"Did your family know of the abuse?" Sunflower inquired.

Chris shook his head, "No, they didn't know until last autumn."

Ellen raised an eyebrow, "So, for thirteen years, they didn't notice that you were being abused?"

"Leo made sure all his marks were hidden, and I made sure they never found out."

"Why didn't you want them to find out lad?" Seamus said, "If they did, you wouldn't have gone through the beatin's for thirteen years."

Chris shrugged, "Leo's brainwashing, my own fear, and many other things made me never speak about it."

Alan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "And, Leo, what do you say about this?"

"That he is lying!" exploded Leo, "I never touched him and if I did, it was out of punishment."

"So, are you saying you did indeed beat Chris?" Helen asked.

"Out of punishment and that is it. It apparently worked out fine, because now's he rich and famous, isn't that true huh Chris?"

"Please refrain from talking to him Leo," Alan remarked.

"What were some of the things your father would do when you were younger?" Marcus inquired.

Chris frowned, "He would punch me, kick me, those kinds of things. He usually broke my nose and a few of my ribs each time. He would sometimes use things like my toys or a belt if he was pissed off."

"Usually, what about the…unusual times?" Ellen asked, "Did he ever sexually abuse you?"

"No," Chris quickly answered.

"Alright, did he do anything, physically, to you besides beating you with his hands or other items?"

Chris gulped, "There were a few times he would, drive an anthame through my stomach. One time, he took an acid potion and poured over my hands."

"Those are all lies!" exclaimed Leo, "I never did any of those."

Alan sighed and looked at Ellen, "We can't keep going on their words Ellen, and you know it. If we do it that way, we'll be here all day."

"What about the book the kid gave us?" Marcus grunted.

Alan looked at the lone leather bound book sitting on the table in front of the Halliwell family. "The book is your journal correct?"

Chris nodded.

"What does it have in it?" Raindrop asked.

"Recollections about my beatings." Answered Chris.

"Why did you keep a journal but not tell your family?" Helen said.

"I began the journal when I was ten…and I wanted it so in case I died, they knew why." Replied Chris.

Alan held out his hand, "May I see it?"

Chris nodded and stood to give the journal to the Elder. He sat back down and exhaled slowly. Feeling a hand entwine with his own, he smiled at Tyler softly.

"You okay?" whispered the red-head.

"As good as I can be when someone is reading over intimate details of your life," replied Chris.

"Could be worse," Tyler said with a shrug.

Chris cocked an eyebrow, "How so?"

Smirking, Tyler replied, "They could be reading over  _our_ intimate details."

Chris shook his head, but the small upturn of lips told Tyler that he did his duty of keep Chris's stress level down. "You're impossible, you do realize that? Even in the middle of court, you're cracking jokes," Chris lightly snapped back.

"This journal spans from January 8th, 2014 to February 27th, 2019, correct?" Alan inquired the book in his hand.

"Yes."

"The council should take note that in this book that this book mentions details of strangulation, strong mental abuse, stabbings, and the use of potions to torture." Alan said monotone.

Ellen shook her head and took the book and began flipping through it. "Also, there is blood on some of the pages."

"Everything in there is a lie!" Leo screamed, his hand coming down to pound on the table, "I never laid a hand on him!"

Chris sighed and kneaded his forehead with his free hand, his other hand still bound tightly within Tyler's. "This is never going to work," he muttered.

"Chris, this will." Piper whispered.

"I'm saying, this will never work as its going. It's my word against his. They're going to need more evidence."

"They have your journal," Tyler said.

"That's still  _my_ word," Chris replied, "Leo could easily say that I sat down one day and wrote all that out of my imagination."

"Well, this looks like the Tribunal place," Paige said from her husband's side, "Do you think they can use memories,"

"We were just about to start that actually," the Elder stated with a small smile on his face, "Now, Christopher, close your eyes and relax."

Chris raised an eyebrow at the request, but did as he was told. "Are you relaxed?" Alan inquired softly after Chris took a series of deep breaths.

Chris nodded. "Alright, now, I want you to think back to a time where one of these beatings took place, nod when you've reached that point."

Again, Chris bobbed his head up and down. Then suddenly, Chris slumped, his head falling onto Tyler's shoulder. "Chris!" Tyler exclaimed, "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Calm," Alan said with a small smile, "It's easier to access the memories if one is dreaming of them. Trust us."

Tyler glared at the Elder and wove an arm around Chris's shoulder. Piper looked at her son and back at the Elder, "He's just sleeping?"

The Elder nodded, "Yes, he will be fine."

"It will probably be better that he doesn't see the memories," Wyatt remarked.

Tyler frowned and looked at his boyfriend, the vocalist's face smooth and peaceful. But with five years of sleeping in the same room of Chris, the half-demon knew that it was only a matter of time before the face was contorted with pain. "Let's just hurry this up." He muttered, obviously not happy with this idea.

The Elder nodded and waved a hand towards the large white dome. It illuminated and poured a slightly hazy cloud into the air above it. Soon, the dark blue walls of Chris's childhood bedroom formed, and then the furniture and the random scattered papers and books that always seemed to litter the area. Slowly, as if someone was turning up the volume, a soft whimper could be heard. Then, Leo appeared.

The man's face was twisted in anger. He lifted his hand and then a loud slap reverberated throughout the hall. "You pathetic little bastard," Leo spat, "You did this?"

"I didn't do anything," they heard Chris replied, the pitch higher than it was now.

"How young is he?" Piper asked her hand in front of her mouth.

"First, you nearly kill your mother," Leo growled. In the memory, the ground got further away, meaning that Leo was pulling Chris off of his feet and into the air, "And now this."

The family winced when they heard Chris's head hit the wall behind him. Leo's face got close to his, "How does it feel to know that you killed your baby sister?"

"I didn't do it," Chris whimpered.

"You did!" Leo screamed, "You killed her! Because you couldn't come out right, you killed your little sister."

"I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, the vision turned black, but they could hear a yell and a loud bang. When Chris re-opened his eyes, the Halliwell family nearly broke down when they realized that Leo threw Chris into a corner. The loud bang of the door told the clan that the family that Leo had left. As the vision slowly disappeared, the last thing they heard was Chris's soft, heart-breaking whimpering.

"Piper," Alan softly whispered, "How old was Chris when you lost your third child?"

Piper sniffled, "He was about five."

"And what as the cause of the miscarriage?"

"I have scar tissue from having a C-section with Chris and naturally, the egg was properly attached and eventually it fell of the wall, I was roughly four months pregnant when that happened."

Alan nodded, "I see. And have you ever blamed Chris for what happened?"

"No!" Piper quickly answered, "Why would I? It was…just never meant to be I guess."

"It his fault Piper, how can you not see it?" Leo growled from his seat, "That damn kid has been the source of all of our problems."

Piper gritted her teeth, but didn't dignify her husband with a response. "My pregnancy with Chris was not the sole cause for my miscarriage. When I found out that I was pregnant, my doctor warned me that this was a high-risk pregnancy due to my last one, and I have natural…problems with conceiving, so my doctor was really wary of this one. He told me I was lucky to have the two I have, and that I shouldn't expect it to come to term."

"So, the miscarriage was…expected then?" Ellen inquired.

Piper shrugged, "Not expected, but it was in the back of my mind. Now, I was crushed when it did happen, but I never blamed Chris for it. If anything, the miscarriage made me more thankful for the two children I do have. " She said, her gaze lingering on Chris. Reaching out, she took his free hand and rubbed the skin in comfort. "I don't know how they kept this a secret for so many years, but I will always kick myself for not noticing that my son was in pain." She said with a sob, "The idea that Leo, a man that I thought was kind and loving, would do this, is just….horrifying. And the thought that my son had to endure him for thirteen years, make me wish he left earlier, just go get out of harm's way"

Ellen frowned, "The idea that any child has to live through it is heartbreaking."

Alan sighed and gestured towards the dome, and another haze sprung up and a memory began to filter in. The room has changed slightly, this room still had the dark blue walls, but now the soccer posters were being overtaken by bands and music ones. The acoustic guitar and a violin sat in the corner and the papers now had thick high school textbook covering them.

"What the hell are you doing?" They heard Chris shout, a grunt of resistance coming from the teenager.

"Showing you a lesson," Leo replied, a triumphant tone in the man's voice.

The vision kept jerking as Chris was pulled into the middle of his room. It lurched forward and the boy's hands were visible. Everyone noted that they were shaking. "What...what are you doing?" Chris asked when the soft pop of an uncorking could be heard.

"Teaching you a lesson," Leo repeated and the Halliwell family watched in horror as bright yellow liquid was poured onto Chris's hands, and the sound of burning flesh and screams of pain filled the room. Leo dropped Chris's wrists after he poured the acid potion onto his son's hands and Chris's fell to his knees, sobbing and screaming in pain as his skin was eaten by the potion. Soon, blood began pooling on the floor of the bedroom as it ate his muscle tissue. "Please, stop, please,' Sobbed Chris, "Please."

The boy glanced up at his father, Leo's smug face appearing in the haze. "This is for your benefit Chris. This is your punishment for missing a violin lesson. Do you know how much we pay for them?"

"Please, just make-"

"Do you know?" shouted Leo.

"No!"

"150 dollars a week, Chris," Leo stated plainly, "That's too much money for you to miss a lesson for a stupid reason as soccer."

"Mom said-"

"I don't care what your mother says, you have her blinded! You're nothing but a mistake," Leo spat, "A mistake that doesn't deserve to be here. The child  _you_ killed deserves to be here, not you."

"Please, I'm sorry, please, just make it stop." Chris begged.

With a sigh, Leo took a vile with bright blue liquid and poured it on Chris's hands. The boy cried in relief. Chris looked at his hands and the council and the Halliwell family drew in a sharp hiss. Large patches of skin were gone; the muscle visible and even in some spots, the pale white of bone could be seen. They were shaking and the teen was still sobbing as he curled into himself.

The boy cried out when Leo grabbed the wrists, "This is your punishment, do you understand?"

Chris nodded. Then, Leo threw the arms aside and stomped out of the room, leaving Chris on the floor, his hands still bleeding. The vision turned as Chris turned on his side, his eyes still on his hands. His gaze shifted to the guitar and the violin and a broken sob left the boy's throat. He curled tighter into a ball and cried. The vision faded.

Piper clutched her son's hand, her body bent with sobs. Wyatt reached up and rubbed his eyes before glaring at his father, "How the hell could you do that?" He yelled at Leo, "What the hell did Chris do that warrant that?"

"He missed a violin practice," Leo said monotone.

Wyatt stood up, "A violin practice! Missing a practice doesn't mean you pour acid onto a child's hands!" He yelled.

"I'm your father Wyatt, remember that." Leo growled, standing up as well.

"I'm no longer associated with you," Wyatt spat.

"Men! Sit down, now." Alan shouted.

Wyatt slowly sat down, his icy blue eyes glaring at Leo as the man sat down as well.

"Shh,"

Everyone turned towards Tyler, the man rubbing Chris's arm. Chris whimpered slightly, his eyebrows furrowed. His hands tightened their grasp on Tyler's and Piper's, the man obviously distressed.

"What's wrong with him?" Piper asked; her eyes wide.

"He's having a nightmare," Tyler replied tensely as he shook Chris's shoulder, "They're flashback of what that asshole did to him."

"How often does he get these nightmares?" Ellen inquired.

Tyler looked at his boyfriend with a frown, "Every night, usually two or three a night. He hasn't slept a night all the way through since he ran away."

All of a sudden, Chris shot up, a loud gasp coming from him as his eyes shot open. Tyler quickly grasped Chris's shoulders; the man's breathing rapid and his heart racing. "Calm down," Tyler murmured, "Deep breathes."

Chris clenched his eyes shut and tried to banish the nightmare from his thoughts. His body was tense, ready to run from the threat. He could feel Tyler's hand rubbing his back, and the man whispering "Deep breathes," over and over again. After a few tense moments, Chris groaned and put his forehead on the table, "What the hell happened?"

"They put you to sleep so they could get the memories," Tyler answered, the half-demon sending a small glare towards the council.

"So that's why they were clearer than normal," murmured Chris.

"You alright honey?" Piper asked as she rubbed her son's back.

"I have a fucking migraine," Chris gritted out.

Piper frowned and looked at the council, the group murmuring among themselves. "We're take a fifteen minute recess so Christopher can compose himself." Alan called out. Waving his hand to the right, a plain oak door appeared, "There's a small room over there if you wise to depart for the mean time."

Tyler nodded and helped Chris stand. Keeping an arm wrapped around the vocalist's waist, the two trudged to the room, the whole Halliwell clan behind them.

Tyler lowered Chris into a chair and knelt beside him, "I'm going to get you some meds, I should be able to shimmer right back to you right?"

Chris sighed, his eyes shut as he tried to keep the light from hitting them, "The rings should let you."

Tyler nodded and patted Chris's knee, "Don't die before I come back,"

"I'll try; now go before my head explodes." Chris muttered.

Tyler sighed and shimmered away. Piper's eyes grew wide, "Since when could Tyler shimmer?"

"I thought I told you he was half-demon," Chris replied.

"No, that's another tidbit you failed to tell me." Piper said with a frown.

"Hey Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Ty's half-demon, thought you should know." Chris said, with a small smirk.

Piper shook her head at her son's attitude.

"What other tidbit did he forget to tell you?" Phoebe asked.

"That he was bi-sexual," Piper replied with an eye roll.

Chris shrugged, "It didn't really come up in conversation."

"We kind of figured he was Bi when he hooked up with demon-boy," Paige quipped.

"I'm ashamed, I shimmered out, and I get talked about," Tyler's voice said as he shimmered in, "And my boyfriend not even standing up for me."

"Not going to happen with a migraine," Chris answered, the man holding out his hand for the pill.

"And not even a please," Tyler muttered as he dropped a small white pill into Chris's hand.

Popping the pill into his mouth, Chris swallowed it dry. He leaned forward, the vocalist resting his head in his hands. "I'm never doing that again,"

"We really weren't expecting you to fall asleep," confessed Piper, "We thought it was going to be like the Tribunal and you just step on the circle, and the memory would form."

"Yeah, imagine my surprise when I was suddenly dreaming." Snorted Chris.

"How are you feeling?" Tyler whispered.

"It's getting bearable." Chris sighed, the pressure in his head slowly decreasing, "So, what happened after I fell asleep."

"We watched two memories," Tyler answered since the Halliwell family fell silent as they held back tears and emotions, "The one after your mother lost the baby and the acid potion,"

Chris sighed and shook his head, "Of course they pick those two," He leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes still shut, "Anything else?"

"Wyatt yelled at Leo, Leo being a smug asshole, you know, the usual." Tyler replied with a shrug.

"Whoa, Wyatt yelled at Leo?" Chris repeated, his eyes opening and looking at his older brother, "What for?"

Wyatt's eyes widened in astonishment, "Chris, how do you expect me to sit there and watch that and just sit there like nothing happened?"

"It's in the past," Chris answered simply.

"Yeah, that's still affecting you to this day!" Wyatt yelled.

"Yes, it's affecting  _me_ not you," retorted Chris, "Stop making my problem into yours. It won't help."

"Honey, we're just trying to help you," Piper said.

Chris rolled his eyes, "It's not working, trust me. You're just adding fuel to the fire, which isn't helping."

"Is it true that you have nightmares every night?" Phoebe asked quietly.

Chris's gaze shifted to his aunt, and nodded, "I've had them since I was a teenager."

"Are they always about…what he's done to you?" Inquired the Empathic witch.

"Most are,"

Piper closed her eyes and let a tear trickle down her cheek. She opened them when she felt arms wrap around her. "I'm fine Mom," she heard Chris whispered, her arms wrapping around her youngest son easily, "A little crazy and slightly broken, but alive."

Piper clutched her son close to her, "I just wish this never happened, you didn't deserve to be brought up that way,"

Chris chuckled, the tone solemn sounding, "There are a lot of things I didn't deserve to happen to me, and there are things that happen to you that you didn't deserve, but none of that matters. It happened, and it's being dealt with. After this, we can move on."

Wyatt snorted, "I think it's going to take more than a trial to move on,"

Chris unwrapped his arms from his mother's frame, but kept an arm around her shoulders, "No, but is a beginning for you."

"When did it start for you?" Phoebe asked softly.

Chris frowned, "The day I came to the realization that the man that in that room isn't my father."


	20. Terminus

Chris entered the courtroom with his head held high and his eyes straight forward. He refused to meet Leo's eyes, but he also refused to enter submissively. He walked to his seat and sat down, his eyes staring at the council. He could hear Leo grumbling under his breath, but he paid no heed to it. The rest of the Halliwell family filed in and took their seats as well. Once they were all seated, Alan cleared his throat and looked at them. "I hope you're feeling better Christopher,"

Chris nodded but didn't say anything. "Now," Alan started, "What did you do after you ran away?"

"I hitchhiked to Los Angeles, the only things I took was my guitar, twenty dollars and a few pieces of clothes. For two weeks, I made money by sitting on the corner and playing my guitar."

"That couldn't have brought in a lot of money," mused Ellen.

"It didn't." Chris answered simply, "After the two weeks, Tyler showed up and demanded to know what I was think and all of that. He took me out to lunch, and then he came up with the idea that we should start a band and next thing I know, I'm in a hotel room bought by his older sister and we're trying to write songs and find a way to survive. I got a job as a busboy at a local bar to pay for things, although it didn't stretch far. Long story short, Tyler and I got a record deal and now we're famous musicians."

Alan nodded, "Now, what brought you back to your family? Am I correct to believe that you never thought about returning?"

Chris frowned, "The aspect of returning never occurred to me. I was too busy to think about that. The reason I returned was that my Godfather was killed in a car accident and my Godbrother was seriously injured as well. I felt that it was my obligation to return."

Ellen raised an eyebrow, "And what about your destiny of being the next Charmed Ones with your older brother? Did that go to the wayside as well?"

"It was in the back of my mind, but I figured that I wouldn't have to worry about it unless the Underworld suddenly reformed and started attacking mortals and witches again." Answered Chris, "Plus, I figured with me running away, the bond that Wyatt and I would be severed."

"You can never run away from destiny child," Helen chided, "It's been written, and it shall happen. That is how destiny works."

"Yeah, I'm starting to realize that," muttered Chris.

Helen smiled gently at Chris.

"Now, Leo, we'll hear your side of the story," Alan stated.

Leo nodded and stood, "Chris was always a troubled child. He would make up sensational stories to gain attention, I mean, look at him now, the singer and guitarist of a well-known rock band, he thrives for the limelight. This is all a hoax. This is some pathetic attempt to gain attention because he's sick and tired of being in his brother's shadow. I've never done any of those things in those memories."

"Then where did he get them from?" Ellen snapped.

Leo shrugged, "I'm not sure madam. Perhaps he dreamed them and he is delusional enough to believe them to be real. But, I never laid a hand on my children out of spite."

"How was Chris troubled?" Alan inquired.

Leo sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair, "He was always talking back to us, he was a little smart-ass, excuse my language, and he never applied himself to school. He took everything we gave to him for granted. Honestly, it sickened me that a child could be so…heartless. He cared for nothing, not even his own family, which reached its peak when he ran away at the age of sixteen without a second thought of how he was putting his kin in risk. And looked how he turned out, a punk, and a homosexual, everything that is wrong."

Ellen briefly glanced at Chris; the boy's eyes were glazed over as he ignored what his father was saying, before she returned it to Leo. "All I see is a successful man who has someone by him that he loves. I see nothing that is wrong, Leo,"

"It was not how he was raised Madam." Leo explained.

"Children change as the mature," Marcus drawled, "It's what makes them adults. If children grew up as carbon copies as their parents the world would never progress. It's the nature of life."

"And the way you described the lad's troubles," spoke the Leprechaun, "It sounds like he was just growin' up, no harm. Every lad goes through a bit of a mouth in the young ages."

"Wyatt was never-"

"Wyatt and Chris are two different people," Piper snapped, "In case you haven't notice, with the different hair color and eyes."

"You are not getting what I'm saying," Leo growled, "That boy was headed down the path of evil! I had to stop it!"

"How was I turning evil?" Chris asked quietly, his eyes still on the council bench, "How the Hell could you tell that I was turning evil at the age of three? The thought of turning evil never crossed my mind, I would never betray my family like that nor was I raised that way."

"A father knows their children,"

"When was I born?" Chris stated, "You never seem to remember to come around those days. My favorite color? My favorite food? Can you answer those questions  _Dad?"_

Leo gritted his teeth and turned away from Chris, "I had to do this. I had to keep him in line."

"There are other ways of keeping children in line Leo!" shouted Piper, "You didn't even talk to me about this? If you thought our son was turning evil, you should've come to me so I could knock you upside the head for even thinking that!"

"Piper, you're not thinking straight, he has brain washed you," Leo pleaded, "He's brain washed all of you."

"He's done nothing Leo," Piper said exasperated, "That's the thing…you abused a helpless child for no reason, and you can admit that to yourself. You can't admit you're wrong, and meanwhile you're tearing this family apart!"

"Everyone, sit down!" boomed Alan's voice, "Enough! Now, we will sit down and talk about this civilly or not at all. Understand!"

Piper sneered but sat down nonetheless.

"Now," Alan said as he sat back down, "The council has what it needs. We will adjourn to discuss, I suggest that the Halliwell family bar Leo go into the room you were just in to keep the conflicts down. We will return shortly with our ruling."

As one, the council stood and left in their respected ways. With a sigh, Chris stood as well and started towards the door.

"They'll rule in my favor, and you know that Chris," Leo said, a cocky tilt to his tone, "And when they do, you know what will come,"

Chris closed his eyes and bit back his retort. He hurried to the door, anxious to get out of the room before he lost his temper. "Oh, and your little boyfriend too," Chris's hand gripped the door handle, the metal beneath it quickly rising in temperature.

"Chris ignore him," Tyler hissed as he uncurled the fingers from the knob, "Now, get your ass in there." He ordered as he threw open the door, the half-demon let a small hiss leave his lips when his bare skin touched the burning brass. Throwing a glare over his shoulder as the rest of the family piled in, Tyler let some of his demon side show through, his eyes glowing a bright red. "Leave him alone, you've hurt them enough asshole." He growled before slamming the door shut behind him.

Sighing, Tyler calmed himself down and once he felt his demon side leave him, he opened his eyes and made his way over towards Chris. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Piper and the rest of the family left a seat open next to his boyfriend. Chris was staring straight at the wall in front of him, his face emotionless, and his fingers were laced together.

With a soft sigh, Tyler rested his arm on the back of Chris's chair. He could see Chris's wheels were turning, the man trying to figure out every possibility that could come out of this.

"Were you ever going to tell us?"

Chris's eyes brightened as he tuned back into the real world, his gaze falling upon his mother, "About the abuse, no."

"Why?" Piper asked her eyes wide.

Chris let out a sharp exhale and ran a hand through his bi-colored hair, "Because…just because alright Mom. Can we leave it at that?"

"No," Piper lightly snapped, "I think we all deserve an answer,"

"Because I thought you two deserved a family, alright?" Chris retorted, "I thought that while I didn't have a father, that Wyatt should have one. And Leo made you happy, who am I to take away your happiness? Those are my reasons, no matter how ludicrous they are."

"So, you sacrificed yourself for us," Wyatt said, his eyes narrowing on his brother.

"Yes,"

"Do you know how stupid that sounds?" barked Wyatt.

"Yes, I know it's so stupid to sacrifice myself for the happiness," drawled Chris, "Trust me when I say I've been told this plenty of times from both Tyler and my shrink, I don't need it from you too,"

"I can't believe you put up with this for thirteen years for such idiotic reasons!" Wyatt boomed.

Chris frowned, "How about this Wy, I put you in that situation and I'll see how you react."

"I would tell someone Chris, I would have much common sense." Hissed Wyatt.

Chris narrowed his eyes, "You don't know it's like to live in constant fear Wyatt. You can't begin to fathom what it does to you. Don't even say you would do this or that, because you can say all you want, but until you're in that situation, you don't know what the Hell you would do."

Wyatt gritted his teeth but tore his gaze from his younger brother.

"So, if you died, we would have to find all this out by some journal?" Piper asked heartbroken, "I would stay awake reading how my son got beaten by that same man I sleep next to every night? Are you insane Christopher? I can't…I can't even begin to picture how that would go, how much trouble that would cause. Did you ever think about us?"

Chris bit his tongue and chose to fall silent.

"Chris did what every child would do in that situation," Paige calmly explained, "You're not putting yourself in Chris's shoes. He was a small boy and his father, a man who he thought would protect him, would come and beat him up. Imagine how you would feel? He probably didn't know who to trust and who he could tell. And then when he probably figured it out, can you imagine break apart a family or dropping that big of a bombshell on your family?"

Samantha sighed, "Does this matter? Chris didn't tell us, alright, but that is in the past. Right now, can we focus on getting Leo prosecuted so we don't have to worry about him attacking Chris again, please?"

Phoebe nodded, "That's all we should be doing. Focus on the now, and not the past."

Piper looked at her son, the twenty-one year old was biting his bottom lip and his shoulders were hunched over. Tyler was rubbing his son's back just before Chris let out a trio of short, sharp coughs. Groaning, Chris sat up with a pained expression on his face. "Of course the Dayquil only has a four hour lasting period. Damn people need to make it stronger and last longer."

"You and your demands," Tyler chided with a small smile, but it quickly fell when Chris bent over to cough again, "Maybe we should cancel Tokyo."  
Chris shook his head, "It's just a cough, I'll manage. I'm better than I was before."

"How sick were you?" Samantha asked, "I mean, I saw the cancelation for Paris on the website…I thought it was just a sore throat or something,"

"I'm fine Sam," Chris replied with an eye roll, "Never thought I would have a stalker in my own family."

"You were not fine," Tyler replied, "And she's not a stalker she's just a fan,"

"Stalker, and yes I was."

"You have a fever of 103 Chris, I know I'm not a doctor, but that seems pretty sick, and she's a fan."

"I get a fever of a 103 every damn year and you know it, and she's a stalker, she had a crush on me!"

"Hey! That was before I knew you were my cousin," Samantha quickly said, "And I'm not a stalker."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "How often do you check the website?"

"…Every day or every other day," mumbled Samantha.

Chris nodded, "I was right, stalker."

"Do we even post something every day?" Tyler rhetorically asked, "Aw, little Sam is a novice stalker."

"I'm not a stalker!"

Chris snorted, "Not by being so loud."

Samantha glared at Chris and maturely stuck her tongue out at her older cousin. Chris chuckled at Samantha's childish antics. A knock on the door stopped the chuckles as Matthew popped his head in, "The council is back."

Chris nodded and stood, "Let's get this over with."

The Halliwell family once again filed into the room and took their seat. Chris could feel his hands shake. Closing his eyes, Chris took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

"Now, in the case between Leo Wyatt and Christopher Halliwell," Alan stated, "We find the defendant guilty of physical and mental abuse. We also find the defendant guilty of attempted murder. As for sentencing, we sentence Leo Wyatt to be stripped of his Elder status and to become a mortal, thus being a death sentence. We are prohibiting Leo Wyatt from practicing magic or being in the procession of magical materials. He is also to stay at least 300 feet from Christopher Halliwell and Tyler Larson, and he is to stay 150 feet from the rest of the Halliwell family. Do you understand your sentencing?" Alan asked, his eyes narrowed on the fuming ex-Elder.

"I never did-"

"Do. You. Understand.?"

Leo gritted his teeth, "Yes."

Turning his attention to Chris, Alan let his expression soften slightly, "If he breaks any of these rules, you are to summon us. Understand"

Chris nodded.

"Alright, then. This court is hereby adjourned, Blessed Be." Alan said before the council left and the Halliwell family felt themselves shifting. When they stopped, the clan found themselves in the attic. Chris sank to the couch behind him, his eyes wide. Thirteen years of misery, and another five years of high stressed running away, and in a matter of hours, it was done. He couldn't believe it. It was done. He never had to see his father again.

He was free.


End file.
